The aim of the authors in this study was to identify factors associated with resilience that helped abused nurses face and cope with violent events. The data for this cross-sectional study were collected from June 2013 to December 2013; 272 participants were recruited from emergency rooms and psychiatric wards in four hospitals in central Taiwan. Among these participants, 230 (84.6%) met the inclusion criterion and completed all questionnaires; 69 (30%) of them reported having experienced only verbal violence; 46 (20%) reported having experienced only physical violence, and 115 (50%) reported having experienced a combination of verbal and physical violence. The following were positively associated with resilience score: having a college education or greater (exp(β) = 1.045, p = .018), extraversion (exp(β) = 1.012 per unit increase in the score, p < .001), family support (exp(β) = 1.004 per unit increase in the score, p = .031), peer support (exp(β) = 1.008 per unit increase in the score, p = .006), and lower level of neuroticism (exp(β) = 0.983 per unit increase in the score, p < .001); 43.6% of the variance in resilience was explained by the variables assessed. Adequate support and advanced education are important for abused nurses to enhance their resilience.
Keywords: Abuse; nurses; personality traits; resilience; social support.