Secondary Intervention
Secondary intervention involves the recognition of problems
and interventions that address issues before the nurse’s lines
of resistance become targeted by stressors. Once a stressor
has been identified, it may be necessary for a nurse to seek
guidance from a friend or manager in the workplace. In order
to preserve and strengthen both resilience and the flexible
lines of defense, the nurse must try to view the stressor as a
temporary problem while also realizing that change will be
necessary to successfully overcome the problem. At this
stage, both long-term and short-term goal setting becomes
important. The use of reflective journaling following particularly
stressful events may also assist the nurse in evaluating
resilience-building techniques, while also acknowledging
opportunities for growth and sharing.
Jackson and colleagues (2007) propose the following
self-development strategies that may assist nurses in building
personal resilience: (a) building positive nurturing professional
relationships and networks; (b) maintaining
positivity; (c) developing emotional insight; (d) achieving
life balance and spirituality; and (e) becoming more reflective
(p. 6). A strong support system, such as family, friends
and clergy can help assist the nurse in self-care during times
of stress through sharing experiences of vulnerability and
resilience, and can enhance coping mechanisms that help
diminish emotional exhaustion and burn out. Sometimes, the
stress response may become so overwhelming that illness
becomes present or mental health declines; in these instances
the nurse should be referred to a professional person for
guidance. Other times however, peer or administrative
acknowledgment and praise for how a stressful situation was
handled by the nurse may promote feelings of pride in that
nurse, which can lead to resilience-building (Jackson et al.,