“You Need to Get Over the Difficulties and Stand Up Again”—A Qualitative Inquiry into Young Nurses’ Coping with Lateral Violence from the Feminist Perspective

Abstract

Previous studies have reported lateral violence (LV) styles among nurses and the adverse impacts of LV on nurses and nursing. Young nurses, including nursing students and novice nurses, are often victims of LV. A large qualitative research study that contained three sub-studies exploring professional identity development in different professional stages was conducted by a research team in Macau, Special Administrative Region of China. Semi-structured interviews with nursing students and clinical nurses were carried out; among the 58 participants in the three sub-studies, 20 described some forms of LV and their ways of dealing with them. Framed by the feminist perspective, the researchers explored young nurses’ coping strategies in dealing with LV perpetrated by senior colleagues. Two themes were developed reflecting the coping strategies for LV: “making extra efforts” and “soothing emotional distress”. Three sub-themes were under the theme of “making extra efforts”: “catching up knowledge”, “making the most use of learning resources”, “adjusting communication manner”; another batch of sub-themes was under the theme of “soothing emotional distress”: “seeking support from schoolmates”, “living with family but crying alone”, and “adjusting lifestyle”. The study implied that young nurses exerted their agency in coping with LV in clinical practices. Nursing managers and educators should support young nurses’ efforts in overcoming power-based LV and incivility.

Perspectives of Chinese New Nurses Regarding Successful Transition: A Qualitative Study

“…Under the current nursing education system in China, new nurses are hired in their early 20s after graduation (Ma et al, 2021). Mao explained these Generation Y nurses have a strong preference for a work–life balance and desire not to be overly exhausted after work to allow them to enjoy their life (Mao et al, 2021). Spence Laschinger et al also found Generation Y nurses to desire work that is compatible with their lifestyle (Spence Laschinger et al, 2018).…”

The influence of psychosocial work environment, personal perceived health and job crafting on nurses’ well-being: a cross-sectional survey study

“…Previous studies indicate that ICU nurses successfully utilize internal psychological mechanisms to adapt to work demands, switch job resources to cope with the situation, and maintain work well-being [6,22,23]. Some nurses utilized problem-focused coping strategies, such as seeking information and social support; others used emotion-focused coping methods, such as positive thinking, relaxation techniques, and peer support, to cope with challenging situations [24][25][26]. It is important to consider individual needs and situational factors when examining nurses' ability to adapt to work demands, as the work environment can positively and negatively impact nurses.…”

Analysis of the Level of Stress and Methods of Coping with Stress among the Nursing Staff

“…The literature shows that both stress and stress-coping strategies are of great interest to researchers. Research by Mao et al [ 19 ] and Tam et al [ 20 ] show that high work intensity can ultimately lead to burnout. Mindfulness-based intervention has been concluded to be effective in promoting mental health and reducing the effects of burnout.…”