Purpose: This grounded theory study explored how psychiatric nurses continued working in psychiatric wards after experiencing patient-initiated physical violence and how they interpreted these experiences within their clinical contexts. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 nurses working in psychiatric wards in regions B and G of South Korea between June 21 and August 11, 2023. Data collection and analysis proceeded concurrently until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method and grounded theory procedures described by Strauss and Corbin. Open coding, axial coding, and selective coding were performed, and MAXQDA 10 was used to organize, compare, and manage the interview data. Results: The analysis yielded 34 concepts, 17 subcategories, and 10 categories. The core category was “redefining oneself beyond physical violence,” and the central phenomenon was “facing psychiatric symptoms beyond physical violence.” The causal conditions included experiencing physical violence and continuing to work. The contextual conditions included working in environments where violence was hard to avoid and being swayed by emotions, while the intervening condition involved recharging the capacity to provide care. The nurses used the action/interaction strategies of striving to continue working in psychiatric wards. The consequences included developing practical know-how, growing as a psychiatric nurse, and enduring while pretending to be unaffected. The process unfolded through three phases: acceptance, integration, and expansion. Movement between phases depended on repeated violence, emotional responses, reflection, and available support. The experience of continuing to work was classified into three types: stable, growth, and avoidance. In the stable type, nurses maintained balanced coping; in the growth type, they strengthened their professional competence; and in the avoidance type, they relied on distancing themselves and reducing direct involvement. These patterns demonstrated that continuing to work did not necessarily indicate recovery. Conclusion: Psychiatric nurses continued working after experiencing physical violence by interpreting patient-initiated violence in the context of psychiatric symptoms, regulating their emotions, adjusting their roles, and redefining themselves through balanced coping, enhanced professional competence and a strengthened professional identity, or defensive self-protection. Support should therefore be tailored to nurses’ differing patterns of adaptation, as continuing to work alone may conceal unresolved fear, emotional withdrawal, or reduced engagement in direct patient care after violence. These findings indicate the need for systematic education, ongoing individualized supervision, and organizational support structures for psychiatric nurses who have experienced physical violence.

서 론
    1. 연구의 필요성
    2. 연구목적
연 구 방 법
    1. 연구설계
    2. 연구자의 준비
    3. 연구참여자
    4. 자료수집
    5. 자료분석
    6. 연구의 엄격성 확보
    7. 윤리적 고려
연 구 결 과
    1. 연구참여자의 일반적 특성
    2. 신체적 폭력을 경험한 정신과 간호사의 근무 지속경험 범주 분석
    3. 핵심범주: 신체적 폭력을 넘어 자신을 재정립 함
    4. ‘신체적 폭력을 넘어 자신을 재정립 함’의 과정
    5. 신체적 폭력을 경험한 정신과 간호사의 근무 지속경험 유형
논 의
결 론 및 제 언
REFERENCES

• 홍재현(마산대학교 간호학과 조교수) | Hong Jeahyun (Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing, Masan University, Changwon, Korea)
• 김고운(부산대학교 간호대학 ‧ 간호과학연구소 조교수) | Kim Goun (Assistant Professor, College of Nursing ‧ Research Institute of Nursing Science, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Korea.) Corresponding author