A Study On The Status And Influencing Factors Of Alexithymia In Nurses

Research Purpose:To understand the status quo of alexithymia in nurses and identify the high-risk nurse population and characteristics;In-depth analysis of the influencing factors of nurse alexithymia can provide evidence for the research and development of the intervention program to alleviate and prevent nurse alexithymia and maintain the physical and mental health of nurses.Research Methods:This study is divided into two parts: quantitative and qualitative.Through the combination of questionnaire survey and semi-structured interview,this study analyzes and discusses the status quo and influencing factors of alexithymia in nurses.Stage 1:A cross-sectional survey of nurses 'alexithymia and its influencing factors.A convenience sampling method was used to conduct a questionnaire survey on 316 clinical nurses on duty in a third-class first-class hospital in Huzhou city.The general data questionnaire and Toronto alexithymia scale(TAS-20)were used to investigate the status of alexithymia in nurses and further analyze the influencing factors.SPSS21.0 statistical software was used for data collation and analysis.The general data of nurses and the scores of TAS-20 scale were described by the number of cases,composition ratio(%)and mean ± standard deviation.Two independent samples t test and one factor Anova were used to compare the differences of each variable.Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of alexithymia in nurses.Stage 2:A qualitative study on the status and influencing factors of nurse alexithymia.Based on the first-stage investigation,the purpose sampling method was adopted to conduct semi-structured in-depth interviews with nurses,and Colaizzi seven-step analysis method was used to analyze the data,so as to further clarify the influencing factors of alexithymia in nurses.Research Results:1.Status of alexithymia in nursesIn this study,the incidence of alexithymia in nurses was 21.20%,and 38.92% of nurses were in the critical state of alexithymia,indicating that the incidence of alexithymia in nurses was high.The total score of alexithymia in nurses was(52.14±8.15),which was in the critical state of alexithymia.The scores of the three dimensions were: 17.35±4.15 for identifying affective disorder,12.78±2.68 for describing affective disorder,and 22.96±2.65 for extroversion thinking,indicating that the degree of alexithymia in nurses was relatively serious.2.Influencing factors of nurse alexithymiaIn general data,Logistic regression analysis found that,with the absence of alexithymia as the reference,the influencing factors for the occurrence of alexithymia in nurses were the degree of concern of colleagues(OR=16.115,95%CI: 6.073-42.767),living alone(OR=6.899,95%CI:1.263-37.681),non-local(OR=0.176,95%CI: 0.046-0.679),and family support(OR=10.573,95%CI: 4.353-25.681).The influencing factors of critical status of alexithymia in nurses were department(OR=1.310,95%CI: 1.084~1.584)and family support(OR= 4.886,95%CI:2.581~9.250).For nurses with high alexithymia level,qualitative interviews were conducted to analyze the reasons mainly for their own factors,family environment and work environment.Its own factors include: negative concept of emotional expression,lack of self-identity,long-term physical illness,insufficient business ability,poor personal habits,introverted personality;Family environment includes: oneself and family members' long-term neglect of emotional expression,family members' lack of understanding and support,insufficient communication with family members,and little time for company;The working environment includes: chronically depressed working atmosphere,lack of security in the working environment,overworked work intensity,strained nurse-patient relationship,and insufficient support from colleagues.Research conclusions:(1)The high level of alexithymia in nurses,with an incidence of 21.20%,which deserves our attention;(2)The department,whether living alone,whether local,the degree of family support and the degree of care of colleagues have certain effects on alexithymia of nurses;(3)The factors affecting alexithymia in nurses include their own factors,family environment and work environment.Therefore,all walks of life and hospital management should pay attention to the alexithymia of nurses,evaluate the causes of alexithymia of nurses,and actively research and develop the intervention plan to relieve and prevent alexithymia of nurses.