ABSTRACT
Introduction
Self-care is both a personal and professional responsibility for nurses; however, academic evidence in this area remains limited.
Aim
Psychiatric nurses’ self-care experiences were examined.
Method
This descriptive phenomenological study included 18 psychiatric nurses from a public hospital, using purposive sampling. Data were collected via semi-structured, individual, and in-depth face-to-face interviews conducted between May and June 2025. Analyses included Colaizzi’s seven-stage phenomenological analysis conducted using MAXQDA software.
Results
Four themes and 13 subthemes were elicited. Nurses reported increased self-care awareness, identified themselves as role models for patients, and emphasized the importance of physical, mental, social, spiritual, and professional self-care, as well as daily routines. Facilitators and barriers included motivation, work-life balance, and emotional burden as individual factors, and workplace experiences, shift work, and professional perspective as professional factors.
Conclusion
Psychiatric nurses’ self-care awareness and strategies play a critical role in individual and professional well-being and in the quality of care, underscoring the need for support at both individual and institutional levels.
Implications for Practice
Training programs and institutional practices promoting self-care awareness and work-life balance may enhance nurses’ well-being and the quality of patient care.
Relevance Statement
This study explored psychiatric nurses’ self-care experiences, highlighting factors that influence their well-being and professional practice, including workplace dynamics, shift patterns, and role expectations. Findings on facilitators and barriers to self-care provide valuable insights for designing educational programs and institutional strategies to support nurses’ physical, mental, social, spiritual, and professional health. By addressing universal challenges, such as emotional burden and work-life balance, while considering context-specific factors in a specific healthcare context, this study contributes to enhancing psychiatric nursing practice and supporting nurses’ well-being in diverse settings.