Factors Influencing Emergency Department Nurses' Attitudes Toward Patients Who Attempted Suicide: A Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

Caring for patients who attempted suicide is essential to suicide prevention. The current mixed methods study clarified the factors influencing emergency department nurses' attitudes toward patients who attempted suicide. Questionnaires were distributed to 2,122 nurses at 73 critical care and medical center facilities in Japan; data of 419 participants were deemed valid and included in multiple regression analysis. Nurses' thoughts and emotions experienced when trying to empathize with patients, educational background, anxiety about caring for survivors of attempted suicide, severity of wounds inflicted during the suicide attempt, selfish behaviors by survivors, nurse–physician relationships, comparisons between survivors and other patients, and personal life experiences were identified as influencing factors. Training nurses to care for survivors of attempted suicide and fostering a climate in which nurses can easily collaborate with other specialists can help them understand such patients better. [ Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 61 (5), 25–33.]