Effectiveness of a Short Program to Improve Emotional Management of Nurse Managers in Japan

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a short program to improve emotional management abilities of nurse managers and verify its effectiveness. We conducted an interview survey of nurse managers (n = 11) and clarified the challenges perceived by them. We, then, developed a short program to improve emotional management abilities based on findings from the qualitative analysis of the interview survey responses and emotional intelligence, which is a measure of emotional management abilities. This program was tested on 78 nurse managers working in medical institutions in Japan, and its effectiveness was evaluated based on statistical analysis of scores of the emotional intelligence scale (EQS), Anger Arousal and Lengthiness Scale (AALS), and Japanese version of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (J-FFMQ) scores measured before, immediately after, and 1 month after the intervention. A total of 38 participants completed the questionnaire surveys at all the three time points. The “Situational” domain score of the EQS (p < 0.01), the “AALS total” score (p < 0.01), and the AALS “anger lengthiness” subscale score (p < 0.01) immediately after the intervention significantly differed from the respective scores before the intervention. The J-FFMQ scores showed significant improvements immediately after the intervention (p < 0.01) and 1 month after the intervention (p < 0.01). The findings of this study demonstrated the effectiveness of our program in improving mindfulness skills, which are crucial for effective emotional management, and prevent the persistence of anger in nurse managers in Japan, thereby indicating that it can be considered a practical program.