ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Occupational Health and Safety
This article is part of the Research TopicHumanizing Intensive Care: Bridging Clinical Efficacy and Emotional SupportView all articles
The Personal Roles Dimension of the Theory of Work and Personal Role Reconciliation: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Faculty of Nursing, Andrés Bello University, Santiago, Chile
- 2Nursing Studies Department, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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Background: Although the Theory of Work and Personal Role Reconciliation has been recently published, the personal roles dimension has not yet been explored in depth. This article aims to describe its theorization. Methods: Constructivist grounded theory was employed to conceptualize the phenomenon of interest from the perspectives of nurses, their families, and administrative staff. Data were derived from 202 hours of non-participant observation in two high-complexity hospitals in Chile (one public and one private), 57 institutional documents, and 51 in-depth interviews. Data analysis followed the constant comparative method and multilevel coding. To ensure methodological rigor, the study adhered to the 13 criteria for constructivist grounded theory research proposed by Charmaz and Thornberg and was approved by a Scientific Ethics Committee. Results: Personal roles are defined as the set of behaviors associated with the personal context of intensive care unit nurses, which are shaped by eight sources of interaction: (1) Family dimension; (2) Extended family; (3) Community groups; (4) Recreation spaces; (5) Religious institutions; (6) Health care institutions; (7) Educational institutions; and (8) Other public services. Conclusion: The study presents the theorization process of the personal dimension involved in the reconciliation of work and personal roles among nurses in Intensive Care Units. Personal roles are essential to understanding this reconciliation process. The findings provide evidence of the existence of eight sources of interaction, which are influenced by the cultural context.
Keywords: work-life balance, Nursing, Intensive Care Units, qualitative research, grounded theory
Received: 10 Jul 2025; Accepted: 31 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Valencia-Contrera, Avilés and Febré. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Miguel Valencia-Contrera, m.valencia@outlook.cl
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