Mapping resilience and co-occurring theoretical constructs in nurses: a scoping review protocol

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this scoping review is to map the concept of resilience and its measurement along with co-occurring theoretical constructs within nursing research using the COVID-19 pandemic as a critical date range for the current evidence. Introduction: Resilience has a wide variety of definitions in research literature and is often measured through its co-occurring theoretical constructs. Nurse resilience is a key element in interventions targeting nurse well-being and has been tied to burnout and mental health. Resilience is influential in workforce stabilization and impactful to nurse retention both within a facility and within the field of nursing. This is significant given the worldwide nursing shortage and attrition from the field. Inclusion criteria: This review will consider published and unpublished studies that investigate resilience and co-occurring theoretical constructs in nurses, excluding students. Studies published in en or Spanish will be considered for inclusion without restriction to setting or geographic location. All instruments that measure resilience will be considered for inclusion and mapped in conjunction with the co-occurring constructs. Methods: Database searches from January 10, 2020, onwards will include CINAHL (EBSCOhost), MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), Scopus, and LILACS. Unpublished studies and gray literature will be searched in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (ProQuest). The JBI methodology for scoping reviews will be followed. Extracted data will include publication details (authors, titles, year of publication), resilience measurement instruments, co-occurring theoretical constructs, participants, context, and concept. Extracted data will be presented in charts and tables supported by a narrative summary. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.