| Description |
The self concept of intensive care nurses as compared to non-intensive care nurses was the problem in this study. It was predicted that the intensive care nurse would have a significantly lower self concept than non-intensive care nurses as measured by "The Tennessee Self Concept Scale." This hypothesis was based of the assumption that the particular stressors uncounted by the intensive care nurse would have a negative effect on self concept. The specific intensive care stressors may include such variables as the constancy of death and dying, communication breakdowns, extremely heavy and demanding work responsibilities, and lack of rewards from the patient, the family, and co-workers. A total of 77 females' nurses, each of whom was employed more than three months at the University of Utah Medical Center Hospital, participated as subjects of this study. Forty of the subjects were intensive care nurses and 37 were employed in non-intensive care positions. To determine the differences between the two groups, one was analyses of variance were computed. There were no significant differences between the two groups on either the Total Positive Score or the sub scores as measured by "The Tennessee Self Concept Scale." The mean "TSCS" Score for the two groups combined was slightly higher than the previously established group norms for this scale. It was suggested that factors other than the existence of stress may account for decreased self esteem. These may be the nurse's personality variables (Type A vs. Type B), internal vs. external locus of control, childhood and adolescent adjustment, and one's usual coping methods. Additional intervening variables affecting self concept of the nurses in this study may include the sense of accomplishment for excellence in performance during a major power outage in the hospital, the positive effects of the feminist movement, and the low mean age of 28 years. While the original hypotheses in this study were not supported, there was evidence to warrant further investigation into the relationship between stress and self concept in intensive care nurses. |
