Mindful Self-Care among Oncology Nurses in China: a Latent Profile Analysis

Abstract Background Oncology nurses are considered the group with the highest risk for moral distress, compassion fatigue and burnout. Mindful self-care may help oncology nurses improve their well-being and solve psychological problems and burdens. It is important to understand oncology nurses’ mindful self-care. Objectives To investigate the situation, possible types and influencing factors of mindful self-care among oncology nurses. Design Cross-sectional descriptive study. Participants A total of 839 oncology nurses were enrolled in this survey. Methods From January to May 2023, a cross-sectional study was carried out among oncology nurses using convenient sampling. The subjects were given the brief Mindful Self-Care Scale (B-MSCS) and the General Demographic Information Questionnaire. Latent profile analysis was used to separate oncology nurses’ mindful self-care into a variety of subgroups. The SPSS 25.0 statistical program was used to analyze the data. One-way ANOVA and the chi-square test were performed to compare the score of each B-MSCS dimension in each class and the difference in sociodemographic characteristics among the subgroups. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the influence of the sociodemographic variables on each profile. Results The total score of the B-MSCS was 76.40 ± 13.19. The support structure dimension had the highest score, with an average mean value of 3.60, and physical care had the lowest score at 2.57. The findings of the latent profile analysis showed that respondents were divided into three profiles, low (n = 124), moderate (n = 430), and high mindful self-care (n = 285), which accounted for 14.8%, 51.2%, and 34.0%, respectively, of the total respondents. Across scale scores and dimensions, three groups demonstrated statistically significant differences ( p < 0.05). Univariate analysis revealed significant differences between the three profiles in terms of professional title, position, concern about self-care, interest in mindfulness, and experience with meditation ( p < 0.05). Profile membership was predicted by 3 factors, namely, self-care status, interest in mindfulness, and experience with meditation. Conclusion The mindful self-care ability of oncology nurses, especially mindful relaxation and physical activities, should be improved. Three latent mindful self-care profiles were found, and nursing managers should pay more attention to oncology nurses in low-mindful self-care groups. Further interventions combined with mindfulness, self-care or meditation can be performed to improve the mindful self-care ability of oncology nurses.