Negative Capability-Related Dimensions Among Local Government Public Health Nurses in Japan and Their Associated...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Nursing Practice
• Psychology

Background:

• Local government public health nurses (PHNs) in Japan often face practice decisions with incomplete information and competing priorities.
• Understanding their ability to tolerate ambiguity and related factors is crucial for effective community-based services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine negative capability (NC)-related dimensions, specifically ambiguity intolerance and attitudes toward ambiguity, among PHNs in Japan.
• To explore individual and career-related factors associated with these dimensions.

Main Methods:

• An anonymous web-based survey was conducted with 380 local government PHNs in Japan.
• Ambiguity intolerance was measured using the Measure of Ambiguity Tolerance (MAT).
• Attitudes toward ambiguity, resilience, and career development were assessed using validated scales.

Main Results:

• Ambiguity enjoyment was positively associated with resilience, organizational support, professional identity, and other work experience.
• Ambiguity anxiety was negatively associated with resilience, management competence, and years of PHN experience.
• While modest, other attitude subscales also showed significant associations with various predictors.

Conclusions:

• Negative capability (NC)-related dimensions in PHNs are linked to individual resources like resilience and aspects of career development.
• The cross-sectional design limits causal interpretation; further longitudinal and qualitative research is recommended.
• Findings are hypothesis-generating and should be interpreted cautiously due to the risk of chance findings.