Hardiness, work support and psychological distress among nursing assistants and registered nurses in Quebec

Background. Although nursing assistants (NAs) represent a large segment of Canadian health care providers, little is known about psychosocial factors related to their physical and psychological well‐being and how these compare with their registered nurse (RN) counterparts. Aim. Guided by Maddi and Kobasa's theoretical framework of Factors Affecting Health‐Illness Status, the purpose of the present study was to examine relationships among hardiness, psychological distress and work support in NAs, and to compare results with those from a sample of RNs. Method. A random sample of 171 NAs in Quebec completed self‐report questionnaires. The study instruments included validated French‐Canadian versions of Kobasa's Hardiness Scale, Ilfeld's Psychiatric Symptom Index, and Moos' Work Relationship Index. Results. As theoretically predicted, statistically significant correlations were found between hardiness and psychological distress (r = −0.42; P