Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)

School

Psychology

Advisor

Stacy Orr-Sprague

Abstract

Studies suggest that “secret-keeping,” the act of maintaining confidences or personal information, is a problem in the nursing population. Secret keeping may cause depression and anxiety, which might bring about isolation and reduce the ability to provide patient care. The purpose of this study was to address the gap in the literature concerning the relationship between secret-keeping and subjective well-being among early- and late-career nurses. Nurses are those who primarily work at the bedside and who supply the nursing labor force in health cares. I used Seligman's well-being theory to focus on the nurses’ happiness based on positive psychology. The study was a quantitative method with a survey-based design, applying the Self-Concealment Scale (SCS), the Well-Being Index (WHO-5), and The Nurse Retention Index Scale (NRI). The target population was early- and late-career nurses who were employed in or retired from the nursing industry. The data was collected by social media and Walden Participants’ Pool. Data was analyzed based on stated independent and dependent variables (early-career and late-career nurses, secret-keeping, subjective well-being, and nurse retention, respectively). A one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) test was run on the data in order to determine the probabilities of and differences between the two sample groups (early-career nurses and late-career nurses). Key results indicated that nurses with between one and five years of experience were more likely to stay in their profession than those who have five or more years of experience. Through the findings of this study, I hope to promote the need for social change to allow nurses a respite from the stresses of their jobs.

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