Psychological evaluation of intensive care nurses

To understand the possible psychological repercussions of working in an ICU, we report on 18 nurses in our unit, who took the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), the Rorschach test, and two prints from the Phillipson test. Each nurse took these tests during her 1st month of work and again at 12 months; 9 repeated the tests once more 24 months after entering the ICU. The results demonstrated the absence of clinical evidence in all cases. Findings of the Rorschach indicate that the larger part of the group use defense mechanisms to confront the numerous harmful stimuli and the high level of anxiety. In spite of this, the Phillipson test shows approximately one-half of them to manage depressive situations correctly and formulate solutions and mechanisms of reparation.