Optimism and distress tolerance in the social adjustment of nurses: examining resilience as a mediator and gender as a moderator.

Background: As nursing is recognised as one of the most stressful occupations in healthcare organisations, nurses are vulnerable to adjustment challenges.

Aims: The authors examine the association between optimism, distress tolerance and social adjustment through the mediating role of resilience and the moderating role of gender among Iranian nurses.

Methods: The sample consisted of 183 nurses working in six private hospitals in Iran.