Examining the relationship between work-family-life balance, mental health symptoms and psychological resilience in nurses: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Nurses frequently experience high levels of occupational stress due to demanding working conditions, which may be associated with difficulties in maintaining work–family–life balance and with psychological resilience and mental health symptoms. This study aimed to examine the relationships between work–family–life balance, psychological resilience, and mental health symptoms among nurses. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in accordance with the STROBE guidelines with a sample of 300 nurses working in hospitals in Türkiye. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Work–Family–Life Balance Scale, the Brief Symptom Inventory, and the Brief Resilience Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and hierarchical regression analyses. Work–family–life balance was moderately and negatively correlated with mental health symptoms, and psychological resilience was also moderately and negatively correlated with mental health symptoms. A moderate positive correlation was found between work–family–life balance and psychological resilience. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that work–family–life balance and psychological resilience were independently associated with mental health symptoms, with the final model explaining 26.3% of the variance. Higher levels of work–family–life balance and psychological resilience were associated with lower levels of mental health symptoms among nurses. Future longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to clarify the direction and nature of these relationships.