Self-compassion Education for Health Professionals (Nurses and Midwives): Protocol for a Sequential Explanatory Mixed Methods Study

ObjectivesThis qualitative study aimed to explore the occupational experiences of medical students and junior doctors working during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, the research sought to identify factors which mediated work stress, barriers to disclosing mental health problems and levels of support medical students and junior doctors received during the pandemic.DesignThis study was a form of thematic analysis and adopted an inductive, ‘bottom-up’ approach, in which coded categories were derived from rich, descriptive data.SettingSemistructured interviews were conducted online with UK-based medical students and junior doctors. Interviews were recorded, and analysis was done by coding salient quotes into themes.ParticipantsThe final sample consisted of seven junior doctors and eight medical students, during the summer of 2021.ResultsHigh levels of occupational stress were identified, which were exacerbated by COVID-19. A number of organisational difficulties associated with the pandemic compounded participants’ experiences of work stress. Participants recognised progress towards promoting and managing mental health within the profession but may still be reluctant to access support services. Barriers to disclosure included fear of stigmatisation, concerns about adding to colleagues’ workloads, lack of clarity about career implications and mistrust of occupational health services.ConclusionsWhile attitudes towards mental health have improved, medical students and junior doctors may avoid seeking help. Given the immense pressures faced by health services, it is imperative that extra measures are implemented to minimise work-stress, encourage help-seeking behaviours and promote supportive work cultures.

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Work stress and professional quality of life among Chinese nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: the chain mediating role of self-compassion and benefit finding

Hui,

Wang,

Sun

et al. 2024

BMC Public Health

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Background Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), front-line nurses have faced not only daily work stress but also a high risk of infection and excessive workload, leading to unsatisfactory professional quality of life (ProQOL). This study aimed to explore whether self-compassion (SC) and benefit finding (BF) play a chain mediating role between work stress and ProQOL among Chinese nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods From March to April 2022, a sample of 13,936 Chinese nurses was recruited through snowball sampling. Demographic information, work stress, SC, BF, and ProQOL were assessed. The SPSS 25.0 software and Amos 24.0 software were used for statistical analysis. The bootstrap method was employed to construct and examine the chain mediating structural equation model. Results The ProQOL level of Chinese nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic was moderate. The overall fit indices for the compassion satisfaction (CS), burnout (BO), and secondary traumatic stress (STS) models were satisfactory ( χ² / df = 2.486, 3.256, 2.553, RMSEA = 0.011, 0.014, 0.011, the GFI, AGFI, NFI, and CFI values were all above 0.90). Work stress had direct effects on CS, BO, and STS ( β =–0.171, 0.334, 0.222, P < 0.001), and also indirectly affected these outcomes through SC (point estimate=–0.010, 0.021, 0.024, P < 0.001), BF (point estimate=–0.033, 0.015, − 0.011, P < 0.001), as well as their chain mediating effect (point estimate=–0.015, 0.006, − 0.005, P < 0.001). Conclusions Our study suggests that SC and BF partially mediated the association between work stress and ProQOL in Chinese nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Training on SC and BF may be crucial components of interventions aimed at improving ProQOL.

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Self-compassion Education for Health Professionals (Nurses and Midwives): Protocol for a Sequential Explanatory Mixed Methods Study

Cited by 5 publications

References 35 publications

Commitment and intergenerational influence: A field study on the role of children in promoting recycling in the family

Commitment and intergenerational influence: A field study on the role of children in promoting recycling in the family

Qualitative study to explore UK medical students’ and junior doctors’ experiences of occupational stress and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Work stress and professional quality of life among Chinese nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: the chain mediating role of self-compassion and benefit finding

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