A model of burnout and life satisfaction amongst nurses

Abstract

This study, among 109 German nurses, tested a theoretically derived model of burnout and overall life satisfaction. The model discriminates between two conceptually different categories of working conditions, namely job demands and job resources. It was hypothesized that: (1) job demands, such as demanding contacts with patients and time pressure, are most predictive of exhaustion; (2) job resources, such as (poor) rewards and (lack of) participation in decision making, are most predictive of disengagement from work; and (3) job demands and job resources have an indirect impact on nurses' life satisfaction, through the experience of burnout (i.e., exhaustion and disengagement). A model including each of these relationships was tested simultaneously with structural equations modelling. Results confirm the strong effects of job demands and job resources on exhaustion and disengagement respectively, and the mediating role of burnout between the working conditions and life satisfaction. These findings contribute to existing knowledge about antecedents and consequences of occupational burnout, and provide guidelines for interventions aimed at preventing or reducing burnout among nurses.