Coping Styles Mediated the Association Between Perceived Organizational Support and Resilience in Emergency Nurses Exposed to Workplace Violence: A Cross-Sectional Study

Nurs Health Sci. 2025 Mar;27(1):e70018. doi: 10.1111/nhs.70018.

Abstract

Resilience was a core factor for mitigating the risks of adverse impacts of workplace violence (WPV) and may be determined by perceived organizational support (POS) and coping styles. The aim of this study was to examine the potential mediation effects of coping styles between POS and resilience in emergency nurses exposed to WPV. Participants were 670 emergency nurses (84.0% female; mean age 30.94 [SD 6.13]) reporting WPV exposure in the past 3 months. Potential mediation effects of coping styles were explored using structural equation modeling. Results showed that POS, negative coping style, and positive coping style were associated with resilience in emergency nurses exposed to WPV. Coping styles mediated the association of POS with resilience. Two indirect pathways explained 21.8% and 22.4% of the variance in nurse resilience, respectively. The findings underscore the importance of POS and coping skills in promoting resilience of emergency nurses exposed to WPV. Nurse management programs are warranted to improve the resilience of emergency nurses at the organizational and individual levels.

Keywords: coping style; emergency department; nurses; perceived organizational support; resilience; workplace violence.

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Psychological*
  • Adult
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Nurses / psychology
  • Nurses / statistics & numerical data
  • Organizational Culture
  • Perception
  • Resilience, Psychological*
  • Social Support
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Workplace Violence* / psychology
  • Workplace Violence* / statistics & numerical data