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To introduce self-compassion knowledge and skills to pre-nursing students using course-based content and qualitatively analyse their experiences via a reflective writing assignment.
A qualitative descriptive research design was used.
All pre-nursing students enrolled in a required Introduction to Nursing course were introduced to self-compassion information and invited to practice one self-compassion skill each week for 2 weeks. Students could choose from (1) self-compassion break, (2) supportive touch or (3) critical self-talk skills and completed two reflection assignments on their experience. Thematic analysis was used to analyse participants' responses.
Participants (n = 63) were female (85.7%), White (38.1%), with an average age of 34.2 years. Exposure to self-compassion content was novel for many and heightened their awareness of how they treat themselves. In the self-compassion break, students learned to recognise and reframe suffering and noticed a calming effect resulting from the experience. Participants who tried supportive touch noted conflicting experiences of discovering the power of touch or being out of their comfort zone. With the critical self-talk exercise, participants discovered a new awareness of critical self-talk and the benefits and challenges related to trying to turn critical self-talk around.
Self-compassion knowledge and skills can offer pre-nursing students support with internal psychological processes including self-regulation, stress management and psychosocial health. Nurse educators should consider incorporating self-compassion concepts with students to promote academic persistence.
Assisting nursing students with skills to manage psychosocial health supports academic persistence and success, which is needed to mitigate the ongoing nursing shortage.
Learning about self-compassion was a new experience for many participants. In-the-moment benefits to physical and mental well-being were often reported. A minority expressed scepticism regarding the utility of supportive touch or changing critical self-talk. Pre-nursing students can utilize self-compassion skills to support self-regulation and student success.
This study was guided by the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) guidelines.
No patient or public contribution.
Nurse leaders at every level are needed to help organizations achieve strategic goals and deliver safe patient care. Nurse leaders can find fulfillment in their roles; however, they are often prone to poor work-life balance due to the complexity and demands of their jobs. Professional well-being, consisting of an individual's overall health and the perception of good work-related quality of life, is at risk for being compromised in these nurses. Research exploring variables associated with psychosocial well-being in nurse leaders is limited.
To describe variables related to psychological well-being in nurse leaders, explore associations among these variables, and identify potential demographic and psychosocial predictors of resilience and burnout.
Participants were a convenience sample of nurse leaders from two hospitals located in the southwestern United States. We used a prospective observational design to describe the incidence of and relationships between self-compassion, satisfaction with life, resilience, perceived stress, and burnout. We then sought to identify predictors of disengagement and exhaustion (subscales of burnout) and resilience.
Participants (n = 105) were mostly female (82.7%) and white (57.7%), while one-third were charge nurses. Most reported normal to high levels of satisfaction with life (86%), self-compassion (90%), and resilience (93.3%) and 72.4% reported high stress levels. Moderately high levels of disengagement (46.4%) and exhaustion (59.1%) were also present. Higher self-compassion levels predicted higher levels of resilience. Lower satisfaction with life and self-compassion together predicted high disengagement scores, while lower self-compassion scores predicted high exhaustion scores.
When disengagement, exhaustion, and perceived stress are elevated, nurse leaders are at risk for low professional well-being and may be more prone to resignation ideation or turnover. Evidence-based interventions designed specifically for nurse leaders promoting professional well-being and emphasizing self-compassion skills are needed along with high-quality research on program outcomes.
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