The mediating role of psychological resilience in the relationship between nurses’ perceived safety against workplace violence, occupational stress, and emotional exhaustion

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the level of trust and security perception regarding violence in healthcare and occupational stress and emotional exhaustion among nurses working in public hospitals, and to determine the mediating role of psychological resilience in this relationship. The study was conducted using a cross-sectional and correlational survey design, which is one of the quantitative research methods. The sample of the study consists of 419 nurses selected through a convenience sampling method. Five different measurement tools were used as data collection instruments in the study: the “Sociodemographic Information Form,” the “Perceived Occupational Stress Scale,” the “Brief Psychological Resilience Scale,” the “Work-Related Emotional Exhaustion Subscale,” and the “Trust and Security Perception Against Violence in Healthcare Scale.” Since the data demonstrated a normal distribution, parametric tests were applied in the analysis. The relationships between variables were examined using Pearson correlation analysis, while group comparisons were conducted using the t-test and ANOVA. In addition, the relationships among the variables were evaluated through regression-based mediation analysis. The findings revealed that there is a moderate positive relationship between occupational stress and emotional exhaustion, and a low negative relationship with psychological resilience. It was also determined that the indirect effect of the level of trust and security perception against violence in healthcare on emotional exhaustion through psychological resilience was negative and statistically significant. The findings indicate that psychological resilience plays a significant mediating role in the effect of the level of trust and security perception against violence in healthcare on occupational stress and emotional exhaustion. These results suggest that the protective effect of security perception emerges not directly, but through the strengthening of psychological resilience. The findings of the study indicate that increasing the perception of security in the working environment may contribute to the indirect reduction of occupational stress and emotional exhaustion levels by supporting the psychological resilience of nurses. In addition to contributing to the existing literature, this study emphasizes that psychological resilience is an important protective resource for healthcare workers. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of developing both individual-level psychosocial support practices and institutional-level regulations aimed at strengthening the perception of security in healthcare institutions, and aims to contribute to the development of early intervention strategies.