Nurses' well-being in in-patient and community mental health care : a comparative study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Nurses who work in mental health care settings frequently experience high levels of stress, burnout, and emotional weariness, all of which can have an impact on their well- being. While several studies have looked at the perceived stressors in the nursing profession, only a few studies have investigated the aspect of well-being. Furthermore, a research gap was observed when it comes to studies that compare the well-being of nurses who work in-patient, versus studies which look at community mental health care. AIM: To investigate and compare the well-being of nurses working in the Maltese in-patient and community mental health settings. OBJECTIVES: The study investigated whether any differences in well-being arise between nurses in in-patient versus community mental health care settings and whether different sociodemographic factors influence well-being. DESIGN & METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study design was utilised for this research study. 197 nurses from the Maltese in-patients and community mental health sector completed Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-Being survey along with sociodemographic questions, resulting in a response rate of 53.5%.2 RESULTS: No statistical differences were found between nurses working in in-patients versus those working in community mental health settings. Despite this, several sociodemographic variables; namely, ‘Age’, ‘Education’, ‘Nationality’, and ‘Grade’ contributed to the well-being of this study. Nurses working in the Maltese mental health sector responded positively to five of the six subscales, implying that their well-being was positive overall. CONCLUSION: This study delivers an enhanced understanding of the well-being of nurses working in mental health care settings. Nurses should be encouraged to perform reflective practice, undergo further training to gain better insight into their roles and improve their leadership skills. They should also have access to clinical supervision to avoid/limit certain managerial stressors and conflicts and improve their personal growth, autonomy, and self-acceptance.