Resilience, self-efficacy, and professional quality of life among emergency department nurses: a cross-sectional study

Nurses, as frontline healthcare providers in crisis and emergency settings, are frequently exposed to high levels of occupational stress. Resilience and self-efficacy are considered important psychological resources that may influence nurses’ professional quality of life and psychological outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the relationships among resilience, self-efficacy, and quality of professional life among emergency nurses at Shahid Rahnemoon and Shahid Sadoughi hospitals in Yazd, Iran, in 2024. This descriptive-correlational study included 125 of nurses working in the emergency departments of Shahid Rahnemoon and Shahid Sadoughi teaching hospitals in Yazd, Iran, in 2024. Participants were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Resilience Questionnaire for Emergencies and Disasters, the Schwarzer and Jerusalem General Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Professional Quality of Life questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26, applying descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression. The mean scores indicated relatively high levels of resilience (150.78 ± 13.68) and self-efficacy (37.31 ± 1.92) among nurses. The mean scores for compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress were 44.70 ± 5.12, 10.58 ± 2.54, and 23.62 ± 4.00, respectively. Resilience was positively correlated with self-efficacy ( r = 0.319, p < 0.01) and negatively correlated with burnout ( r = − 0.759, p < 0.01) and secondary traumatic stress ( r = − 0.654, p < 0.01). In multiple linear regression analysis, resilience remained significantly associated with lower levels of burnout (β = −0.723, p < 0.001) and secondary traumatic stress (β = −0.665, p < 0.001), whereas self-efficacy was not an independent predictor of professional quality-of-life outcomes. Emergency nurses demonstrated high levels of resilience and self-efficacy. Higher resilience was associated with lower burnout and secondary traumatic stress, suggesting that resilience may represent an important psychological resource related to nurses’ professional well-being. Further longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to determine whether resilience-enhancing strategies can improve professional quality of life among emergency nurses.