This meta-analysis examined how demand and resource correlates and behavioral and attitudinal correlates were related to each of the 3 dimensions of job burnout. Both the demand and resource correlates were more strongly related to emotional exhaustion than to either depersonalization or personal accomplishment. Consistent with the conservation of resources theory of stress, emotional exhaustion was more strongly related to the demand correlates than to the resource correlates, suggesting that workers might have been sensitive to the possibility of resource loss. The 3 burnout dimensions were differentially related to turnover intentions, organizational commitment, and control coping. Implications for research and the amelioration of burnout are discussed.

A meta-analytic examination of the correlates of the three dimensions of job burnout.

The Conservation of Resources (COR) model of burnout (Hobfoll & Freedy, 1993) suggests that resources are differentially related to burnout dimensions. In this paper, I provide a meta-analysis of the social support and burnout literature, finding that social support, as a resource, did not yield different relationships across the 3 burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment), challenging the COR model. However, when considering the source of the social support (work vs. nonwork) as a moderator, I found that work-related sources of social support, because of their more direct relationship to work demands, were more closely associated with exhaustion than depersonalization or personal accomplishment; the opposite pattern was found with nonwork sources of support. I discuss the implications of this finding in relation to the COR model and suggest future research directions to clarify the relationship between resources and burnout dimensions.

Sources of social support and burnout: A meta-analytic test of the conservation of resources model.

The first few months of nursing have the potential to be the most challenging and stressful for new nursing graduates. The purpose of the present study was to examine sources of, and changes in, role stress 2-3 months after employment, and 11-12 months later in new graduate nurses. This study also investigated the relationship between job satisfaction and role stress. A factor analysis demonstrated that role ambiguity was the most salient feature of role stress in the first few months, while 10 months later, role overload was the most important factor explaining variance in role stress scores. There was no significant change in role stress scores over time. For the first survey, job satisfaction was significantly negatively correlated with role ambiguity and role stress. In the second survey there was still a significant negative correlation between role ambiguity and job satisfaction, but no significant correlation between role overload and job satisfaction. The findings are discussed in terms of implications for nursing education, practice and future research.

Role stress and role ambiguity in new nursing graduates in Australia

The aim of this paper was to review the literature on factors related to role stress in nurses, and present strategies for addressing this issue based on the findings of this review while considering potential areas for development and research. Computerized databases were searched as well as hand searching of articles in order to conduct this review. This review identified multiple factors related to the experience of role stress in nurses. Role stress, in particular, work overload, has been reported as one of the main reasons for nurses leaving the workforce. This paper concludes that it is a priority to find new and innovative ways of supporting nurses in their experience of role stress. Some examples discussed in this article include use of stress education and management strategies; team-building strategies; balancing priorities; enhancing social and peer support; flexibility in work hours; protocols to deal with violence; and retention and attraction of nursing staff strategies. These strategies need to be empirically evaluated for their efficacy in reducing role stress.

Role stress in nurses: review of related factors and strategies for moving forward.

Background. Empowerment has become an increasingly important factor in determining college nurse educator burnout, work satisfaction and performance in current restructured college nursing programmes in Canada.

Aim.  This paper reports a study to test a theoretical model specifying relationships among structural empowerment, burnout and work satisfaction.

Method.  A descriptive correlational survey design was used to test the model in a sample of 89 Canadian full-time college nurse educators employed in Canadian community colleges. The instruments used were the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire, Job Activities Scale, Organizational Relationship Scale, Maslach Burnout Inventory Educator Survey and Global Job Satisfaction Questionnaire.

Results.  College nurse educators reported moderate levels of empowerment in their workplaces as well as moderate levels of burnout and job satisfaction. Empowerment was significantly related to all burnout dimensions, most strongly to emotional exhaustion (r = −0·50) and depersonalization (r = −0·41). Emotional exhaustion was strongly negatively related to access to resources (r = −0·481, P = 0·0001) and support (r = −0·439, P = 0·0001). Multiple regression analysis revealed that 60% of the variance in perceptions of job satisfaction was explained by high levels of empowerment and low levels of emotional exhaustion [R2 = 0·596, F (1, 86) = 25·01, P = 0·0001]. While both were significant predictors of perceived job satisfaction, empowerment was the stronger of the two (β = 0·49).

Conclusions.  The results provide support for Kanter's organizational empowerment theory in the Canadian college nurse educator population. Higher levels of empowerment were associated with lower levels of burnout and greater work satisfaction. These findings have important implications for nurse education administrators.

Nurse educators’ workplace empowerment, burnout, and job satisfaction: testing Kanter's theory

The major purpose of this study was to examine the causal relationships between role overload, social support, and burnout among nursing educators over a period of time. Eighty-four nursing educators from eight campuses of a state university system completed a questionnaire twice, within a two-year interval. Data analyses consistently revealed the following: 1) Emotional exhaustion correlated significantly and positively with a demanding job, time pressure, and feelings of job inadequacy; 2) Burnout (i.e., emotional exhaustion, depersonalization of students, and a sense of decreased accomplishment) correlated significantly and negatively with social support from one's chairperson and peers. Predictor variables from the initial data set were regressed on the burnout data of two years later. The variable--job demands--was the strongest predictor of emotional exhaustion. Chairperson support was the strongest predictor of both depersonalization toward students and a person's sense of accomplishment two years later. The reported chronic exhaustion among educators in this study should be of concern. An awareness of the role of social support and overload as associated with burnout can help educators develop policies to assure peak performance on the job.

A longitudinal study of the relationships between overload, social support, and burnout among nursing educators.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between role overload, social support, and burnout among nursing educators. Ninety percent (N = 141) of nursing educators from eight campuses of the California State University system completed a four-part questionnaire. Later, in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 nursing educators and five chairpersons. The findings indicated that a demanding job correlated, significantly and positively with almost all aspects of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization of students, and decreased sense of accomplishment). The degree of support from one's chairperson and peers correlated significantly and negatively with almost all aspects of burnout. The findings from the interviews verified these relationships. In the hierarchical regression analyses, a demanding job was the most important predictor of emotional exhaustion. Lack of peer support was the most important predictor of depersonalization towards students. Chairperson support was the most important predictor of a person's sense of accomplishment. Social support did not serve as a buffer against the negative effects of overload on burnout. It was concluded that attempts to alleviate burnout must directly address the extent of overload or the lack of support. Any attempt to mitigate the overload-burnout relationship by merely amplifying the amount of support is not likely to be effective.

Carolyn M Fong

Papers

A longitudinal study of the relationships between overload, social support, and burnout among nursing educators.

Role overload, social support, and burnout among nursing educators.

The Spanish version of the Parental Stressor Scale: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.