Neslihan Partlak Günüşen

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the factors that affect the choices of nursing students who chose a psychiatric nursing internship. The sample group of the study consisted of 13 students who listed psychiatric nursing as their first choice and 11 students who listed psychiatric nursing as their last choice. Four themes were determined: personal reasons, stigmatization, experiences related to psychiatric nursing, and perception of care. Providing activities in nursing education to reduce stigmatization and increasing the time allocated for psychiatric nursing theory and practice are recommended.

Purpose: This study investigated secondary traumatic stress and its relationship to burnout among nurses working at a Turkish hospital. Design: A mixed-methods design included a cross-sectional survey administering the Professional Quality of Life instrument and Maslach Burnout Inventory to 106 nurses. Interviews with a subgroup of eight participants explored nurses’ experiences and coping strategies related to caring for chronically ill pediatric patients. Results: High risk levels of secondary traumatic stress existed among 40.6% participants, and those over the age of 40 years were at greater risk. Two main interview themes emerged that identified (a) consequences and (b) coping strategies while caring for chronically ill children. Nurses experience emotional burdens and may purposefully distance themselves from chronically ill children. Social support from nurse colleagues and spiritual beliefs assist coping. Implications: Workplaces should acknowledge stressors inherent in chronic pediatric nursing care. Environments that welcome spiritual practices and actively encourage social support could address job hazards.

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study is to describe the experiences of women in Turkey during the diagnostic phase of breast cancer. Design: In the research, the phenomenological approach was used. The data were collected through semistructured in-depth interviews. The sample comprised nine breast cancer patients in the diagnostic phase. Results: The data were categorized into four themes: facing the breast cancer diagnosis, uncertainty, avoidance, and holding on to life. Women experience intense uncertainty about the disease, treatment, and social relationships and thus exhibit avoidance behavior. Implications: Nurses should be aware of psychosocial difficulties suffered during the diagnostic phase and provide care for patients. It is important that nurses provide information about the diagnostic phase to women with breast cancer and encourage them to ask questions and express their feelings.

Purpose: The study aims to determine the influence of bullying on nurses’ psychological distress. Design: A descriptive design was adopted. The study sample included 284 nurses of a university hospital in Izmir, Turkey. The Workplace Bullying Behavior Scale and the General Health Questionnaire were used. Results: After the study was completed, it was determined that nurses with a master’s degree were exposed to bullying more and that nurses exposed to bullying suffered higher levels of psychological distress and preferred to keep silent about it. Perpetrators of bullying were mainly head nurses. Discussion/Conclusions: Bullying is a common workplace phenomenon, and in most cases, nurses bully each other. Bullied nurses suffer more psychological distress. Implications: Managers of health care institutions should always remember that nurses have a higher risk of exposure to bullying and that measures should be taken to support nurses.

Background: Burnout is a major problem for nursing. There is a strong relationship between work stress and emotional exhaustion. Although studies report a negative correlation between the internal locus of control and emotional exhaustion and work stress, the number of studies available on the subject is limited. Purpose: This study intends to examine the extent to which the relationship between work stress and emotional exhaustion is mediated by nurses’ internal locus of control. Methods: The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling techniques. The study sample consisted of 347 nurses who worked in a university hospital in Izmir, Turkey and who agreed to participate in the study. The Work-Related Strain Inventory was used to evaluate the nurses’ work stress level, Maslach Burnout Inventory was used to evaluate their emotional exhaustion levels, and the Locus of Control Scale was used to evaluate the internal locus of control. The variables of the study were based on the Neuman Systems Model. Results: Work stress was positively related to internal locus of control (β = .21, p < .001), which was, in turn, negatively associated with emotional exhaustion (β = −.03, p > 0.1). Internal locus of control was negatively related to emotional exhaustion (β = −.14, p < .001). Work stress is directly (β = .87, p < .001) and indirectly related to emotional exhaustion (mediated by internal locus of control β = .84, p < .001). Work stress is directly (β = .87, p < .001) and indirectly related to emotional exhaustion (mediated by internal locus of control, β = .84, p < .001). Conclusion: Although the relationship between emotional exhaustion and work stress was mediated, the impact of internal locus of control was limited. It is recommended that different variables be included in future studies so that they can mediate the relationship between work stress and emotional exhaustion.