RESILIENCE IN NURSING: THE RELATIONSHIP OF EGO STRENGTH, SOCIAL INTIMACY, AND RESOURCEFULNESS TO COPING.
Contributors: University of Texas at Austin.
Published: 1987
Number of pages: 223
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Mental Health.; Psychology, Social.
Description: This descriptive, correlational study examined the relationships of selected aspects of resilience, namely, ego strength, social intimacy, and resourcefulness, to coping with a purposive sample of well-educated, middle-class southwestern U.S. adults (N = 137; 79 females, 58 males). Ego strength, social intimacy, resourcefulness, and coping were measured by the Barron Ego Strength Scale (ES), Miller Social Intimacy Scale (MSIS), Rosenbaum's Self-Control Schedule (SCS), and the Jalowiec Coping Scale (JCS). The JCS consists of a total coping scale, which includes three subscales measuring confrontive, emotive, and palliative coping. Demographic and scaled instrumentation data were analyzed using descriptive, univariate, and multiple regression statistics. Distribution and coefficient alpha reliability data were consistent with previous research on the ES, MSIS, SCS, and JCS scales. Significant correlations were found between gender and ES scores (r =.29, p $<$.001); person identified as closest confidant(e) and MSIS scores (r = $-.26$, p $<$.01); gender and total JCS scores (r = $-.31$, p $<$.001); number of persons in household and JCS confrontive subscale scores (r = $-.22,$ p $<$.01); health rating and ES scores (r =.32, p $<$.001); MSIS scores and SCS scores (r =.28, p $<$.01) and JCS confrontive coping scores (r =.28, p $<$.001); and SCS scores and JCS confrontive (r =.49, p $<$.001), emotive (r = $-.29$, p $<$.001), and palliative (r = $-.27$, p $<$.01) subscales. SPSS-PC stepwise regression analyses revealed gender and ES scores to be the best predictors of total coping scores (R$\sp2$ =.17, p $<$.001). Confrontive coping was predicted by SCS scores, MSIS scores, numbers in household, and income data (R$\sp2$ =.32, p $<$.01). Emotive coping was predicted by ES and SCS scores (R$\sp2$ =.25, p $<$.01). Palliative coping was predicted by ES and SCS scores (R$\sp2$ =.16, p $<$.001).

Women scored lower than men on the ES scale and higher than men on the JCS total coping scale. Emotive and palliative coping were predicted similarly, but confrontive coping was unlike any other part of coping. The findings of this study provide information about gender differences in coping and the variability in the psychosocial backgrounds of individuals reporting the use of predominantly confrontive, emotive or palliative coping strategies. The significance of the study is in its contribution to the understanding of resilience, which should facilitate clinical nursing of adults.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-06, Section: B, page: 2129.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, 1987.

School code: 0227.