Association of Nursing Work Environment, Relationship with the Head Nurse, and Resilience with Post-Traumatic Growth in Emergency Department Nurses

Abstract

Emergency department nurses are confronted with unpredictable diseases and disasters and work-related traumatic stress events. This study aimed to examine the relationship between nursing work environment, relationship with the head nurse, resilience, and posttraumatic growth among emergency department nurses. Data were collected from December 2018 to February 2019 through a self-administered survey questionnaire. Participants comprised 127 nurses working in the emergency department. The collected data were analyzed using t-test, analysis of variance with Scheffé’s test, Pearson’s correlations, and hierarchical multiple regression. The mean posttraumatic growth score of emergency department nurses was 2.59 ± 0.64 out of a possible 5.00. The posttraumatic growth showed a statistically significant difference according to age in the emergency department nurse. Resilience was the most significant variable controlling other variables, accounting for 29% of the variability. The findings support that intervention programs should be developed to encourage a positive relationship with the head nurse and enhance resilience in emergency department nurses.