Nursing is uniquely demanding work and occupational stress in the nursing profession has been well-documented. Many theories of stress-related disruptions among helping professionals have been proposed. Although these theories differ slightly in their origin of stress, they share similarities in nurses’ response to the patient relationship. Depersonalization, withdrawal, and avoidance all serve to create relational distance between the nurse and the patient. Despite the prevalence of these responses, there are not any theories on the nurses’ process of disengagement from patient relationships. Using Strauss and Corbin’s (1990) grounded theory method, this study explored acute care nurses’ experience of disengagement in patient relationships. The purpose of the study was to develop a mid-range theory of nurses’ process of disengagement from patient relationships as it occurred in acute care. Through purposive and theoretical sampling, 12 acute care nurses participated in open-ended individual interviews. The process of open, axial and selective coding discovered seven categories related to nurses’ experience of disengagement from patient relationships. These categories were emotional experience, behavioural expression, environmental influences, relational distance, professional identity and work spillover. Although these categories were exclusive, conceptual elements were interwoven into more than one category. The categories were interrelated around the core category, ‘Doing and Being’, and the process of nurses’ disengagement from patient relationships was delineated. Participants in the study experienced dissonance when they were unable to act in accordance to their caring beliefs. Conditions in the work environment, such as the lack of time, the culture of productivity and patient characteristics influenced and promoted their process of disengagement. Disengagement was manifested in the nurse-patient relationship by decreased eye contact, increased physical distance and increased task focused behaviour. These behaviours increased relational distance between the nurse and the patient. Nurses’ experience of dissonance had the potential to foster feelings of professional dissatisfaction and alienation from self, leading to increased turnover behaviour and depression. Implications and recommendations for practice and future research are discussed.

Nursing is uniquely demanding work and occupational stress in the nursing profession has been well-documented. Many theories of stress-related disruptions among helping professionals have been proposed. Although these theories differ slightly in their origin of stress, they share similarities in nurses’ response to the patient relationship. Depersonalization, withdrawal, and avoidance all serve to create relational distance between the nurse and the patient. Despite the prevalence of these responses, there are not any theories on the nurses’ process of disengagement from patient relationships. Using Strauss and Corbin’s (1990) grounded theory method, this study explored acute care nurses’ experience of disengagement in patient relationships. The purpose of the study was to develop a mid-range theory of nurses’ process of disengagement from patient relationships as it occurred in acute care. Through purposive and theoretical sampling, 12 acute care nurses participated in open-ended individual interviews. The process of open, axial and selective coding discovered seven categories related to nurses’ experience of disengagement from patient relationships. These categories were emotional experience, behavioural expression, environmental influences, relational distance, professional identity and work spillover. Although these categories were exclusive, conceptual elements were interwoven into more than one category. The categories were interrelated around the core category, ‘Doing and Being’, and the process of nurses’ disengagement from patient relationships was delineated. Participants in the study experienced dissonance when they were unable to act in accordance to their caring beliefs. Conditions in the work environment, such as the lack of time, the culture of productivity and patient characteristics influenced and promoted their process of disengagement. Disengagement was manifested in the nurse-patient relationship by decreased eye contact, increased physical distance and increased task focused behaviour. These behaviours increased relational distance between the nurse and the patient. Nurses’ experience of dissonance had the potential to foster feelings of professional dissatisfaction and alienation from self, leading to increased turnover behaviour and depression. Implications and recommendations for practice and future research are discussed.

Nursing is uniquely demanding work and occupational stress in the nursing profession has been well-documented. Many theories of stress-related disruptions among helping professionals have been proposed. Although these theories differ slightly in their origin of stress, they share similarities in nurses’ response to the patient relationship. Depersonalization, withdrawal, and avoidance all serve to create relational distance between the nurse and the patient. Despite the prevalence of these responses, there are not any theories on the nurses’ process of disengagement from patient relationships. Using Strauss and Corbin’s (1990) grounded theory method, this study explored acute care nurses’ experience of disengagement in patient relationships. The purpose of the study was to develop a mid-range theory of nurses’ process of disengagement from patient relationships as it occurred in acute care. Through purposive and theoretical sampling, 12 acute care nurses participated in open-ended individual interviews. The process of open, axial and selective coding discovered seven categories related to nurses’ experience of disengagement from patient relationships. These categories were emotional experience, behavioural expression, environmental influences, relational distance, professional identity and work spillover. Although these categories were exclusive, conceptual elements were interwoven into more than one category. The categories were interrelated around the core category, ‘Doing and Being’, and the process of nurses’ disengagement from patient relationships was delineated. Participants in the study experienced dissonance when they were unable to act in accordance to their caring beliefs. Conditions in the work environment, such as the lack of time, the culture of productivity and patient characteristics influenced and promoted their process of disengagement. Disengagement was manifested in the nurse-patient relationship by decreased eye contact, increased physical distance and increased task focused behaviour. These behaviours increased relational distance between the nurse and the patient. Nurses’ experience of dissonance had the potential to foster feelings of professional dissatisfaction and alienation from self, leading to increased turnover behaviour and depression. Implications and recommendations for practice and future research are discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate