Effects of a hospital-based leisure activities programme on nurses' stress, self-perceived anxiety and depression: A mixed methods study.

AIMS

To determine the effects of a hospital-based leisure activities programme on nurses' stress, self-perceived anxiety and depression.

BACKGROUND

Nursing work in clinical settings is highly stressful and may result in an increase in nurses' turnover rate, which threatens the quality of nursing care and patient safety.

METHODS

We used a mixed methods design and a three-month intervention (January to April, 2019) involving a convenience sample of 176 nurses working at a Chinese tertiary hospital. We conducted 12 semi-structured interviews and performed a content analysis. The pre- and post-intervention comparisons of nurses' stress, self-perceived anxiety and depression were performed using a paired t test.

RESULTS

The 3-month leisure activities programme significantly decreased nurses' job stress (t = 3.80, p < .01), perceived personal stress (t = 3.30, p < .01), self-perceived anxiety (t = 3.76, p < .01) and depression (t = 2.73, p < .01). The qualitative findings revealed five mechanisms linking leisure activities to subjective well-being: detachment recovery, autonomy, mastery, meaning and affiliation.

CONCLUSIONS

A hospital-based leisure activities programme had a positive effect on job stress, self-perceived anxiety and depression, thus improving nurses' well-being.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

A hospital-based leisure activities programme provides a beneficial strategy for ameliorating nurses' psychosocial issues. Interventions aimed at facilitating or increasing nurses' participation in leisure activities are greatly needed.