Burnout in nurses: the role of psychological empowerment, psychological resiliency and job engagement

Abstract

Burnout is a psychological syndrome that has been linked to an abundance of negative personal and organizational outcomes. Research has proposed that psychological empowerment, resilience and employee engagement can act as potential buffers against burnout in nurses (e.g., Fan, Zheng, Liu, & Li, 2016). The current study aims to investigate the direct effects of psychological empowerment and resilience on burnout, and the mediating effect of employee engagement on these relationships. A sample of 107 midwestern nurses working in care facilities and hospitals was recruited via social media, and completed a survey about their experiences. The results supported the prediction that psychological empowerment and resilience had a direct negative relationship with nurses' overall experience of burnout. Additionally, employee engagement the relationships between psychological empowerment and resilience on burnout. Implications of these results are discussed.