Open AccessExploring resilience in nurses caring for older persons
Author(s) -
Petronella Benadé,
Emmerentia du Plessis,
Magdalena P. Koen
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
health sa gesondheid
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.247
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 2071-9736
pISSN - 1025-9848
DOI - 10.4102/hsag.v22i0.1021
Subject(s) - coping (psychology) , psychology , focus group , nursing , psychological resilience , economic shortage , qualitative research , medicine , clinical psychology , social psychology , sociology , linguistics , philosophy , social science , government (linguistics) , anthropology
Background: A shortage of nurses caring for older persons is experienced due to adverse working conditions. Resilience might empower nurses to persevere while caring for older persons. Research regarding the resilience of nurses caring for older persons is scarce.Objectives: The objectives were to explore and describe the strengths and coping abilities of nurses caring for older persons and to formulate recommendations to strengthen their resilience.Methodology: An explorative, descriptive qualitative research design was used. An allinclusive sample of nurses caring for older persons in an urban setting in the North West Province, South Africa, participated in the study. During phase one, demographic information was obtained, and narratives were written (n = 43). Four focus group interviews were conducted in phase two (n = 17) and recommendations were formulated in phase three. Content analysis was used.Principal results: Participants experienced adverse working circumstances while caring for older persons and they needed resilience to balance the emotional nature of the work, work ethics, staff shortages, physical demands of the work and the dependency of the older persons. These nurses used personal, professional, contextual and spiritual strengths to handle adverse working conditions.Conclusions: By applying their personal, professional, contextual and spiritual strengths, nurses could further enhance these strengths and possibly their resilience. The participants' identified strengths were used to formulate recommendations to strengthen resilience of nurses caring for older persons.