The Impact of a Digital Intervention on Perceived Stress, Resiliency, Social Support, and Intention to Leave Among Newly Licensed Nurses: A Randomized Controlled Trial

<p>The nursing shortage has been deemed a public health crisis with the turnover rate of newly licensed nurses (NLNs) growing (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2014). One out of five NLNs are leaving the profession due to work dissatisfaction and feelings of inadequacy (National Academy of Medicine, 2017). NLN attrition during the first year of hire has been associated with feelings of overwhelming stress and decreased sense of support which negatively impact patient safety (Spence Laschinger et al., 2016). As seasoned nurses are attempting to retire amidst a nursing shortage (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2018), NLNs require more support than ever before. A prospective, randomized control trial evaluated the impact of a six-week digital intervention (text messaging) on NLNs’ self-reported stress, resiliency, sense of support, and intention to leave (ITL) their jobs, organization and profession. Messages to the experimental group (n=10) conveyed emotional, esteem, and networking support; messages to the control group (n=11) were medical facts. Duchscher’s Theory of Transition Shock (2007) served as the study’s conceptual framework. Outcome data were measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (Cohen, Kamarck, & Mermelstein, 1983), the Connor-Davidson Resiliency Scale-25 (CD-RISC-25) (Davidson, 2018), the Sense of Support Scale (SSS) (Dolbier & Steinhardt, 2000), and an Intention to Leave Survey (ITL Survey). Participants in the control group (those who received medical facts as the digital intervention) experienced increased sense of social support. At the end of week three, a Bayes Factor (BF) between 0.33 to 0.10 revealed substantial evidence to support there is a difference between the groups. At the end of week six, a BF between 0.03 to 0.01 revealed very strong evidence to support there is a difference between the groups. The impact of a digital intervention (text messaging medical facts) was found to increase this NLN cohort’s sense of support during the first year of hire. Implications from this study encourages nurse educators to use a cost-effective digital intervention (text messaging) to support NLNs’ first year of practice. Future research is needed to explore NLN resilience and turnover.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

Immediate Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Nursing

Year dc:date.available

2020

Author dc:creator

• Concilio, Lisa

Contributors dc:contributor

• Joan Such Lockhart
• James Schreiber
• Rebecca Kronk
• Marilyn Oermann
• Jane Brannan

• resilience
• new nurse
• turnover
• stress
• social support
• digital intervention
• newly licensed nurse
• Critical Care Nursing
• Nursing Administration
• Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing
• Public Health and Community Nursing

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1928

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dsc.duq.edu:etd-2956