A Descriptive Study of Resiliency and Health in Practicing Nurses

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to identify the degree of resilience and self-perceived physical and mental health in practicing nurses. BACKGROUND Stressors and challenges of everyday demands influence resilience and well-being in acute care nurses. METHODS Nurses were surveyed using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and PROMIS Global Health. One sample t test compared the study group to the general population mean of resiliency, physical and mental health scores. Linear regression analysis identified factors associated with resiliency. RESULTS Of the 859 practicing nurses in the sample, most were female and White, had a BSN or associate of science in nursing degree (55.2%, 30.0%) and more than 10 years of experience (57.1%), and worked in direct patient care (77.0%). Nurses had low resiliency (P < .0001) and physical health (P = .0037). Well-being factors included 2 or more missed days/shifts in 3 months (P < .001), thoughts of quitting (P = .003), and perceptions that workload was too much (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Self-perceived physical and mental health was significantly associated with the degree of resilience.