The personality of newly graduated and employed nurses: Temperament and character profiles of Swedish nursesShow others and affiliations
2022 (English)In: International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances, E-ISSN 2666-142X, Vol. 4, article id 100058Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Background: One of the challenges of the 21st century is the high turnover rate in the nursing profession due to burnout and mental illness. From a biopsychosocial perspective, an individuals personality is an important vulnerability-resilience factor that comprises four temperament traits (i.e., a persons emotional reactions) and three character traits (i.e., self-regulation systems). Indeed, different personality profiles are associated to different coping strategies and health outcomes. Objective: We investigated and mapped the temperament and character of Swedish newly graduated and employed nurses in relation to the Swedish general population and an age-matched sub-sample. Design: In this cross-sectional study, nurses self-reported their personality (Temperament and Character Inventory) at the beginning of their employment. Setting: The data collection was conducted at a hospital in the South of Sweden. Participants: A total of 118 newly graduated and employed nurses (Mage = 25.95 & PLUSMN;5.58) and 1,564 individuals from the Swedish general population participated in the study. Methods: We calculated T-scores and percentiles for all seven personality dimensions using the Swedish norms (N = 1,564). The profiles were calculated by combining high/low percentiles scores in three temperament dimensions (Novelty Seeking: N/n, Harm Avoidance: H/h, and Reward Dependence: R/r) and in the three character dimensions (Self-Directedness: S/s, Cooperativeness: C/c and Self-Transcendence: T/t). Results: Regarding T-scores, the nurses reported moderately lower Novelty Seeking (> 0.5 SD), slightly higher Harm-Avoidance (about 0.5 SD), moderately higher Persistence (> 0.5 SD) and Reward Dependence (> 0.5 SD), and extremely lower Self-Directedness (> 1 SD). The prevalence of the most common temperament profiles among the nurses (Swedish general population in brackets) were: 39.80% [10.90%] Cautious (nHR), 21.20% [10.90] Reliable (nhR), and 15.30% [16.50%] Methodical (nHr). The prevalence of the most common character profiles among the nurses were: 31.40% [4.90%] Dependent (sCt), 25.40% [14.40%] Apathetic (sct), and 19.50% [8.80%] Moody (sCT). Conclusions: The analyses of the personality profiles showed that Low Novelty Seeking (79%), high Harm Avoidance (65%) high Reward Dependence (80%), low Self-Directedness (95%), and low Self-Transcendence (60%) were more prevalent among the newly graduated and employed nurses. This may partially explain newly graduated nurses difficulties at work and high turnover rate. After all, a well-developed character is of special importance when working with patients Hence, both education at universities and development at work need to be person-centered to reduce stress levels and promote positive self-regulation strategies.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2022. Vol. 4, article id 100058
Keywords [en]
Character; Temperament; Nurses; Personality; Person -Centered Care; Resilience; Well-Being
National Category
Nursing
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-196975DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnsa.2021.100058ISI: 001026532200038OAI: oai:DiVA.org:liu-196975DiVA, id: diva2:1792634
Note
Funding Agencies|Region Blekinge as part of the initiative for health promotion among newly graduated employed nurses at the Department for Human Resources; Blekinge Hospital
2023-08-302023-08-302024-06-20