Evaluation of the Mediating Role of Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies in the Relationship between Positive and Negative Emotions with Death Anxiety and Chronic Fatigue in Nurses

Death anxiety and chronic fatigue are important issues in the life of healthcare staff, including nurses. This study aimed to explain the mediating role of cognitive emotion regulation strategies in the relationship between positive and negative emotions with death anxiety and chronic fatigue in nurses.

This study was performed on 300 nurses selected from all nurses working in public hospitals of Yazd, Iran using simple random sampling. Data were collected using the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS), Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), and Positive and Negative Emotion Scale. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 22 using Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and structural equation modeling was carried out in AMOS.

In this study, adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies mediated the relationship between positive emotions and chronic fatigue. In addition, adaptive and maladaptive strategies of cognitive emotion regulation mediated the relationship between negative emotions and chronic fatigue. On the other hand, maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies mediated the relationship between negative emotions and death anxiety.

According to the results of the study, nurses with low levels of positive emotions and high levels of negative emotions used many maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and a few adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, which led to their possible experience of chronic fatigue. Furthermore, nurses with high negative emotions may use maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, resulting in high levels of death anxiety.