Abstract
Background: Nursing is a profession where staff are exposed to chronic stress. Mental resilience plays a significant role in the process of coping with these challenges. The aim of this study was to assess nurses’ mental and physical wellbeing, as well as resilience, by taking into account the occurrence of risky behaviour among nurses in Poland. Methods: A descriptive study was carried out between June 2017 and May 2018 among nurses (n = 1080) employed in primary healthcare or in training centres in Silesia, Poland. Data were obtained from a number of questionnaires. Results: Over half of the nurses (n = 735; 68%) had an average psychophysical mood level resulting from stress, and 179 (16.6%) nurses had a low psychophysical mood. Those with a lower psychophysical mood showed a greater tendency towards developing improper eating habits (r = −0.23; p < 0.001). Most nurses had an average (n = 649; 60.1%) or low (n = 255; 23.6%) level of resilience. Higher resilience levels were observed in nurses aged over 30 years (p = 0.004) and in those with additional employment (p = 0.008). High resilience was associated with a lower intensity of risky behaviour. Conclusion: Most nurses in Poland display average and low levels of resilience, which can have unfavourable consequences for their health.
Highlights
The current global nursing shortages have become a global challenge for health organisations, clinicians, scientists, and nursing teachers [1]
We found that psychophysical mood was influenced by marital status, as well as additional employment, which suggests that wellbeing may impact nurses’ willingness to work
We found that nurses with high resilience had better eating habits, which is in line with other reports that show people with compulsive overeating habits have low levels of resilience [55]
Summary
The current global nursing shortages have become a global challenge for health organisations, clinicians, scientists, and nursing teachers [1]. Studies show that nurses in many countries consume more alcohol [8], smoke more [9], and are more obese in comparison to the population in general [8] or employees from other sectors [10]. Such poor lifestyle choices affect nurses’ professional performance and increase the burden on our healthcare system since these are all key risk factors for the development of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, or type 2 diabetes [11,12]. Resilience is perceived as an important pro-health resource [14,15]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
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 call
