Date of Conferral

7-8-2026

Date of Award

July 2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Jane Coddington

Abstract

Nurse managers play a critical role in healthcare organizations, yet limited research has examined how early-life adversity, such as parental incarceration, influences leadership relationships and development. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study, guided by interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), was to explore how nurse managers’ lived experiences of parental incarceration made sense of their influenced attachment-related relational patterns, professional relationships, and receptivity to leadership coaching. The attachment theory and Karpman’s Drama Triangle grounded this study. The participants comprised eight nurse managers in six states within the United States. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed using the IPA analytic process, resulting in seven themes. Findings revealed that leadership was experienced as relational, emotionally demanding, and shaped by individual meaning-making. Participants emphasized trust, communication, psychological safety, and supportive environments in both leadership and coaching contexts. Leadership development occurred primarily through relational and experiential learning, while conflict was experienced as an emotionally activated process requiring intentional management. These findings highlight the importance of relational leadership, psychologically safe environments, and individualized approaches to leadership development. The implications for tangible impact include the potential for healthcare leaders to use the identified strategies to promote inclusive leadership practices, reduce stigma associated with early-life adversity, and improve workplace environments by enhancing relational leadership and psychological safety.

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