The mediating role of resilience in the relationship between meaning in life and attitude toward death among ICU nurses: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe majority of elderly individuals prefer to spend their final days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). ICU nurses are key providers in hospice care, and their attitudes toward death influence the quality of end-of-life nursing. Positive psychology emphasizes promoting positive attitudes toward death. A sense of meaning in life and resilience are critical aspects of positive psychology, which are essential for shaping ICU nurses’ attitudes toward death.ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate whether a sense of meaning in life indirectly affects attitudes toward death through the mediation of resilience.MethodA total of 212 ICU nurses from four tertiary general hospitals in Guangdong and Fujian provinces, China, participated in this study. They completed an online questionnaire, including the Death Attitude Profile-Revised, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and the China Meaning in Life Questionnaire for ICU nurses.ResultsICU nurses scored highest in natural acceptance (3.26 ± 0.53), followed by escaping acceptance (2.54 ± 0.59), and fear of death (2.53 ± 0.78). The proposed model fit the data well. Both the presence of meaning and the search for meaning were positive predictors of resilience (β = 0.313, p