Big Five Personality Model-based study of death coping self-efficacy in clinical nurses: A cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND: Specific personality traits may affect the ability of nurses to deal with patient death. The relationship between personality and death coping self-efficacy (DCS) has rarely been investigated in the palliative care setting. In this study, we explored the associations between different personality profiles and DCS in clinical nurses from general wards and ICU. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 572 Chinese nurses was conducted between August and September 2020, by way of a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: Among the Big Five Personality Traits, in nurses the score was highest for conscientiousness and lowest for neuroticism. With regard to DCS, nurses scored highly on the intention of hospice care. The Big Five Personality Traits were found to explain 20.2% of the overall variation in DCS. Openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness were significantly associated with DCS in nurses. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing managers should pay attention to differences in personality characteristics and provide personalized and targeted nursing education. This should improve nurses’ DCS, enrich their professional development and promote high quality palliative care for patients and their families.