Relationships Between Ambivalence Felt by Staff Nurses Who Are Responsible for Mentoring New Nurses and Their Mental Health and Job Satisfaction

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to clarify the relationships between ambivalence felt by nurses who are responsible for mentoring new nurses and their mental health and job satisfaction.

Method: A questionnaire survey was conducted among nurses who were responsible for guiding new nurses, and 311 respondents were analyzed (response rate, 32.8%; valid response rate, 78.9%). The survey items included basic attributes, the Self-evaluation Scale of Preceptor Role Performance for New Nurse Graduates (sense of fulfillment and burden), the Kessler Psychological Scale (K6), and a job satisfaction measurement scale. The subjects were divided into four groups based on the median values of their feelings of fulfillment and burden, and the data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis and multiple comparison tests.

Results: The ambivalent group showed significantly higher K6 scores than the high job satisfaction and low burden group and significantly lower job satisfaction scores and scores for the appropriate support from supervisors and comfortable working environment sub-scales.

Conclusion: The results suggested that reducing the feeling of burden is important for nurses in ambivalent situations and that appropriate support from supervisors and the development of comfortable working environments are necessary.