Affiliation:
1. Master in Critical Care Nursing Faculty of Nursing Arab American University of Palestine (AAUP) Jenin Palestine
2. Community Health Nursing Faculty of Nursing Al‐Zaytoonah University of Jordan Amman Jordan
3. Business Administration Department Faculty of Administration and Financial Services Arab American University of Palestine (AAUP) Jenin Palestine
4. Critical Care Nursing Faculty of Nursing Arab American University of Palestine (AAUP) Jenin Palestine
Abstract
AbstractAimThis study aimed to assess the association between psychological reactions (e.g., stress, anxiety, and depression), resilience, and work engagement among Palestinian critical care nurses in the West Bank and examine the correlation of psychological reactions and resilience with work engagement.BackgroundWork engagement is associated with psychological reactions and resilience, particularly among critical care nurses. There is a lack of studies on work engagement and these factors in Palestine.MethodsA cross‐sectional, descriptive correlational design was adopted. A convenience sample consisting of 273 critical care nurses from private and governmental hospitals was recruited to participate. Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale‐21 (DASS‐21), Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale‐25 (CDRS‐25), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale‐9 (UWES‐9), and demographic data were used to collect data during the period from March 20 to May 20, 2023.ResultsFindings demonstrated that 53.9% of the nurses reported mild‐to‐moderate levels of depression, 49.8% reported moderate‐to‐severe levels of anxiety, and 49.1% reported moderate‐to‐severe levels of stress. Additionally, 57.5% and 52.7% of them had low resilience and work engagement, respectively. Moreover, work engagement negatively correlated with depression (r = −0.796, P < 0.01), anxiety (r = −0.654, P < 0.01), and stress (r = −0.796, P < 0.01), while positively correlated with resilience (r = 0.42, P < 0.01) and gender (r = 0.121, P < 0.05). Depression, anxiety, stress, resilience, and gender were the main predictors of work engagement.DiscussionThe majority of the nurses suffered from depression, anxiety, and stress. Additionally, more than half of the participants had low resilience and work engagement. Moreover, increased depression, anxiety, and stress were correlated with decreased work engagement, while high resilience and gender as being female positively correlated with high work engagement.Conclusion and implications for nursing and health policyPolicymakers and hospital administrators should develop interventions to improve critical care nurses’ resilience and minimize psychological reactions, which have a significant influence on work engagement. Future studies should be conducted to examine the effectiveness of these interventions.