Effect of Assertiveness Training on Nurse's Interpersonal Conflicts

Background and Interpersonal conflicts in clinical environments wastes many resources and have adverse effects on professional communication. Assertiveness skill is an important component of communication skills that helps in reducing interpersonal conflicts. This study was conducted to determine the effect of assertiveness training on nurses’ interpersonal conflicts. In this experimental study, 60 nurses in Imam Reza Hospital in Mashhad were randomly assigned into either intervention or control groups. A two-day workshop was held for intervention group in which assertiveness skills were taught, while the control group did not receive any training. Assertiveness skills and conflicts level in both groups were measured before and 40 days after the intervention by Bar-on assertiveness questionnaire, Golparvar and Vaseghi Interpersonal conflict at work scale, and Jex and Spector's Interpersonal Conflict Scale. Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the two groups in nurses’ mean score for interpersonal conflicts (P=0.346) but after the intervention, this mean score decreased significantly in the group that had assertiveness training (11.6±5.9 vs.19.0±8.4, P<0.0001). In this study assertiveness skill training was found to have considerable effect on reducing the level of nurses’ conflicts, therefore, it is suggested to provide nurses with assertiveness training so that they could manage workplace conflicts appropriately.