Patients are not fully human: a nurse's coping response to stress

In this article, dehumanization of patients was studied as a strategy used by nurses to cope with stress. Affective organizational commitment (AOC) and affective commitment to patients (ACP) were tested as moderators. We also explored how nurses' humanity attributions to their in‐group relate t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied social psychology 2014-12, Vol.44 (12), p.768-777
Main Authors: Trifiletti, Elena, Di Bernardo, Gian Antonio, Falvo, Rossella, Capozza, Dora
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Nurse patient relationships
Nurses
Occupational psychology
Occupational stress
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Summary:In this article, dehumanization of patients was studied as a strategy used by nurses to cope with stress. Affective organizational commitment (AOC) and affective commitment to patients (ACP) were tested as moderators. We also explored how nurses' humanity attributions to their in‐group relate to stress symptoms. Participants were nurses working in different wards of an Italian urban hospital. Findings showed that perceiving patients as not fully human was related to lower levels of stress symptoms for nurses with high AOC and ACP, but not for nurses with low AOC and ACP. Moreover, for highly committed nurses, the attribution of uniquely human traits to the in‐group was associated with increased stress symptoms. Implications of findings for the relationship between nurses and patients are discussed.
ISSN:0021-9029
1559-1816
DOI:10.1111/jasp.12267