Associations of professional quality of life and social support with health in clinical nurses.

AIM: To explore the associations of the professional quality of life and social support with health in nurses.

BACKGROUND: Physical and mental health may be associated with absence from work among nurses. Few studies have explored the associations of professional quality of life and social support on the physical and mental health of nurses.

METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. In total, 294 nurses were recruited from a hospital in Southern Taiwan. A self-report questionnaire was used to collect data.

RESULTS: Burnout, secondary traumatic stress and social support from relatives or friends were important factors of physical and mental health. Interactions between support from relatives or friends and secondary traumatic stress are important factors in physical health.

CONCLUSION: Reducing burnout and secondary traumatic stress is important for physical and mental health of nurses. Increasing social support from relatives or friends may be useful to reduce the negative effects of secondary traumatic stress on the physical health of nurses.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurse managers could design interventions to reduce and prevent nurses from being influenced by burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Educating nurses to build effective social networks with relatives or friends and to seek support when experiencing secondary traumatic stress may also be needed.