Knowledge and Attitude of Emergency department Nurses about Care of Self-Harming Adolescents and Related Factors: A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Self-harm is a hidden health issue and an emergency priority that is relatively common among adolescents. The standard level of service management for self-harming patients is directly related to the knowledge and attitude of nurses when providing care to self-harming patients. Objective: This study aimed to determine the knowledge and attitude of nurses regarding the care of self-harming adolescents and related factors among emergency nurses. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study involved 208 nurses with over 6 months of work experience in the emergency departments of educational hospital in Rasht, Iran. The nurses were included through census sampling. The data collection tool was a three-part questionnaire including demographic information, the Attitudes Towards Deliberate Self-Harm Questionnaire (ADSHQ), and knowledge. Data were analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests, multiple linear regression, the Friedman test, and Spearman’s correlation coefficient. Results: Based on results the mean age of the participants was 34.8 ± 7.8 years and the majority of them (90.9%) were female and had bachelor’s degree (88.5%). The mean score of nurses’ knowledge was 0.67 ± 0.12. Nurses’ attitudes were positively evaluated with a mean score of 3.59 ± 0.28. Additionally, the attitude score had a positive correlation with the knowledge (r=0.252,p=0.001,). The knowledge score was significantly associated with nurses’ marital status (P= 0.042) and experience in caring for self-harming adolescents (P=0.016), Based on findings of multiple linear regression analysis, attitude score was significantly associated with nurses’ age (β=0.184, 95% CI; 0.061- 0.323, p=0.004) and experience in caring for self-harming adolescents (β=2.495% CI; 0.340 - 4.595, , p=0.023). Conclusion: Based on results, it is recommended to employ more experienced nurses in emergency departments to deal with these adolescents. Furthermore, it is necessary to develop orientation and retraining programs to familiarize nurses and strengthen positive attitudes, focusing on increasing empathy and self-confidence for effective care.