Original Article

Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity in Pediatric General Duty and Intensive Care Unit Nurses

10.5152/cjms.2021.2153

  • Deniz Şanlı
  • Meryem Ünal Çimen
  • Nurseren İşler
  • Nuriye Turgut

Received Date: 14.05.2020 Accepted Date: 28.06.2020 Cyprus J Med Sci 2021;6(2):162-170

BACKGROUND/AIMS

The aim of this study is to investigate the role conflict and role ambiguity in pediatric nurses who work outside and in the pediatric intensive care units and whether the situation varies according to some characteristics of the nurses.

MATERIAL and METHODS

The descriptive study was carried out in intensive care units with featured units, other featured units (emergency service, operating room, and burn unit), and inpatient clinics in a pediatric hospital between October 1, 2019 and February 1, 2020. All nurses were included in the sample using the total count sampling method (N = 210). The data were collected using a Nurse Personal Information Form and the Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity Scale.

RESULTS

The mean role conflict score of the nurses who worked in the hospital was 35.74 6 9.34 and above the moderate level, while the mean role ambiguity score was 39.90 6 5.71 and they experienced no role ambiguity. The mean role conflict score of the nurses in the clinic (37.38 6 9.46) was significantly higher than those in the intensive care unit (33.80 6 9.15) (F = 3.42, P = .03). The role conflict was higher in nurses who spent more years in the profession, in the hospital, and have not received orientation training in the hospital, whereas the role ambiguity was higher in nurses who have not received orientation training in the hospital (P < .05).

CONCLUSION

The working environments in health institutions create a favorable ground for role conflict and role ambiguity.

Keywords: Pediatric nursing, critical care nursing, intensive care unit, role conflict, role ambiguity