Utilizing the butterfly hug to reduce distress in emergencydepartment nurses

Emergency department (ED) nurses are experiencing high levels of job-related distress. However, only some studies have examined ways to mitigate this distress. This project aimed to assess ED nurse distress and to reduce that distress with the Butterfly Hug. ED nurses were taught how to use the Butterfly Hug, a low-intensity, self-administered eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) based bilateral stimulation technique to reduce distress. The Need for Recovery (NFR) Scale was used to assess their distress level pre- and post-test. Seven participants completed this project. One month after being taught to ED nurses, the results show that participants who used the Butterfly Hug multiple times experienced less distress over the subsequent month compared to participants who did not use the Butterfly Hug. In the current project, the Butterfly Hug reduced distress significantly in ED nurses.

Disseration/Thesis

English

Darian Hawke

Hawke, D. (2023) Utilizing the butterfly hug to reduce distress in emergency department nurses. (Doctoral dissertation, Seattle University)