Labrague, L. J., McEnroe-Petitte, D. M., Papathanasiou, I. V., Edet, O. B., Tsaras, K., Christos, K. F., Fradelos, E. C., Rosales, R. A., Cruz, J. P., Leocadio, M., & Lucas, K. (2018). A cross-country comparative study on stress and quality of life in nursing students. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 54(4).
The group of authors conducted this study to compare cross-countries diversity and differences in perceptions of stress and quality of life among nurses. The countries involved include the Philippines, Greece, and Nigeria. A cross-sectional research design was applied in this study. The research led to obtaining valuable data, significant both for further studies in the field and for the practice of health care facilities and educational institutions providing training of nurses. In particular, the results showed that higher stress perceptions are related to carrying out care for patients, as well as the clinical environment.
Psychological characteristics accompanying the manifestations of occupational stress in nurses are a high level of anxiety and pessimism, low frustration tolerance, and excessive control over the manifestation of negative reactions. The level of professional burnout of nurses is in direct proportion to the level of neuropsychic instability, personality-adaptive potential, and the severity of accentuated character traits. The development of occupational stress in nurses is influenced by cultural socio-demographic characteristics such as age, educational level, job title, and length of service, with a strong influence on country specifics.
The research described in this article emphasizes the need for empirical testing and cultural tailoring interventions in the efforts of effective reduction of stress and enhancing the quality of life in nursing students. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the conduct of a complex systemic multilevel study of the psychological characteristics of nurses in conditions of professional stress based on cross-country and, to some extent, cross-cultural approaches. The theoretical significance lies in studying the psychological characteristics of nurses exposed to occupational stress, determining the effectiveness of the psychological adaptation system and the severity of burnout, depending on the specifics of the activity. The results of the study represent a significant contribution to the development of ideas about the impact of occupational stress on the psychological status of nurses. It was revealed that the psychological resources of the nurses’ personalities that influence the level of their adaptive potential are the formed value-semantic structure, the adequate self-concept, and the internal locus of control and empathy.
The practical significance lies in the possibility of using the obtained data in improving the diagnosis and prediction of occupational stress and its negative consequences in nurses. In particular, according to the results of the study, diagnostic profiles of individual psychological characteristics of nurses were determined, which allows predicting the formation of professional burnout in nurses. The use of diagnostic profiles allows for a differentiated approach in the implementation of psychological correction of emotional-negative experiences associated with professional burnout and the prevention of adverse consequences of professional stress by activating the psychological reserves and resources of nurses.
The reliability of the research results is ensured by the theoretical validity and consistency of the main methodological provisions, the adequacy of research methods to the goals and objectives of the work. The main directions of psychoprophylactic work are developed taking into account the distinguished diagnostic profiles of nurses and are aimed at leveling emotional-negative experiences associated with emotional burnout. Activating psychological reserves and resources is proposed to prevent the adverse consequences of professional stress.
Moloney, M., Kingston, L., & Doody, O. (2020). Fourth year nursing students’ perceptions of their education preparation in medication management: An interpretive phenomenological study. Nurse Education Today, 92, 1-7.
The article considers nursing students’ understanding and evaluation of their competence in medication management, revealing characteristic relations between nursing undergraduates’ preparation in medication management and such important parameter in health care quality as patient safety. The authors are Mairead Moloney, assistant professor of sociology of health, and researcher Owen Doody. Based on their experience and interpretative phenomenological methodological approach, they formulated the conclusion about the critical role of higher educational institutions and clinical sites and their cooperation in the formation of medication management skills and competence in students.
A broad empirical study based on fourteen semi-structured interviews allowed the authors to explore and define perceptions existing in nursing students regarding their educational preparation in medication management. This relates both to the course of learning at the university and practice in clinical facilities under the supervision of the health care provider. First of all, the very concept of medication management and its importance is given. The authors emphasize that, mostly, current developments in this field are represented by quantitative research of a patchwork nature, not covering all the necessary aspects of this important problem. Thus, the results of an empirical study on a solid sample represent a valuable contribution to understanding the current state of the art and existing challenges in nursing students’ perception of their preparation for practical work in medication management. The method of phenomenological studies was chosen because it goes beyond the categorization of themes but aims namely on making sense of participants’ personal and social world in the context of the problem under consideration.
The research allowed revealing interesting valuable data and making some important conclusions. In particular, respondents expressed their preferences for technology-enhanced information sources, rather than traditional ‘paper’ sources, considering technology-enhanced sources as more reliable. Moreover, it was found that preceptorship and support are the key elements in the participants’ integrated training in medication management, and motivation and initiative are necessary prerequisites for the formation of competence in medication management. Although the views and opinions of the included respondents cannot be representative of all nursing students, the research demonstrated the high importance of the issue of medication management for the health care system, as well as outlined important milestones for future research in this field.
References
Labrague, L. J., McEnroe-Petitte, D. M., Papathanasiou, I. V., Edet, O. B., Tsaras, K., Christos, K. F., Fradelos, E. C., Rosales, R. A., Cruz, J. P., Leocadio, M., & Lucas, K. (2018). A cross-country comparative study on stress and quality of life in nursing students. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 54(4).
Moloney, M., Kingston, L., & Doody, O. (2020). Fourth year nursing students’ perceptions of their education preparation in medication management: An interpretive phenomenological study. Nurse Education Today, 92, 1-7.