Abstract
BackgroundResearch on coping and resilience is on the rise. However, there is a paucity of information addressing strengths, assets, competence or resilience that enable nurses to remain committed and cope in their profession despite the adversities they face in their working environment.ObjectiveThe purpose of this research was to explore and describe how to strengthen the resilience of nurses in a work environment with involuntary mental health care users.MethodAn exploratory and descriptive research design, which is contextual in nature, was used.ResultsNarrative responses to two open-ended questions (How do you cope with providing mental health care to involuntary admitted mental health care users? and; How can your resilience be strengthened to provide mental health care to involuntary mental health care users?) yielded coping mechanisms and resilience strengthening strategies.ConclusionNurses caring for involuntary mental health care users are faced with challenging situations while they themselves experience internal conflict and have limited choices available to be assertive. To strengthen their resilience, the following factors should be taken into account: support, trained staff, security measures and safety, teamwork and in-service training and education.
Highlights
Nurses deal with adversities in their working environment that can leave them feeling demotivated, angry and dissatisfied, whereby some nurses choose to leave South Africa in search of greener pastures (Buchan 2006)
Nurses play a pivotal role in the South African health care system, because a large proportion of the system is nurse based (Harrison 2009)
The objectives of this research were to explore and describe how nurses cope while providing mental health care to involuntary mental health care users and to explore and describe how their resilience can be strengthened
Summary
Nurses deal with adversities in their working environment that can leave them feeling demotivated, angry and dissatisfied, whereby some nurses choose to leave South Africa in search of greener pastures (Buchan 2006). Nurses play a pivotal role in the South African health care system, because a large proportion of the system is nurse based (Harrison 2009) Facing adversities, such as a lack of appreciation, poor remuneration, an insecure environment, a deficit in acknowledgement, exploitation, a sense of neglect and a lack of support, can compromise the quality of health care provided by nurses (Buchan 2006; Koen & Du Plessis 2011). Moreira and Loyola (2011) identified absconding and uncooperativeness, aggression, lengthy hospitalisation, emotional instability and suicide risks as facts that are evaluated by the mental health practitioners relating mental health users The implication of this on nurses can be feelings of uneasiness, whereby nurses query whether they are acting in the best interest of these mental health care users. Resilience is a contextual and dynamic process (Aburn, Gott & Hoare 2015) that is ever-changing with the environment and is viewed as either a trait, a process or an outcome (Southwick et al 2014). Masten (2014) defined resilience as the capacity of a dynamic system to adapt successfully to disturbances that threaten system function, viability or development. Aburn et al (2015) identified five key themes of resilience, namely rising above to overcome adversity; adaptation and adjustment; ordinary magic; good mental health as a proxy for resilience; and the ability to bounce back
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
