The effect of role-related stressors on nurses' burnout syndrome: The mediating role of work-related stress

The relationship between managerial coaching and role ambiguity among nurses in the military health system

Managerial coaching may be an effective strategy to reduce role ambiguity among nurses. Although the benefits of coaching relationships have been demonstrated outside of nursing, there is a lack of evidence about this career development relationship in nursing. A cross-sectional design was used to determine the relationship between managerial coaching and role ambiguity among military and civilian nurses who work in the Military Health System (MHS). Nurses who worked at a large academic medical center in San Antonio, Texas were asked to participate by completing a survey to examine the variables of interest. Among the 382 nurses that responded, perceived role ambiguity was low and managerial coaching was seldom perceived from first-line supervisors. However, there was a significant negative relationship between managerial coaching and role ambiguity. This study provides foundational knowledge about the relationship between managerial coaching and role ambiguity for nurses working in the MHS.

The Quality of Life and the Bio-Molecular Profile in Working Environment: A Systematic Review

Working life is characterised by various requirements and degrees of control in meeting these demands. The imbalance of these elements with workers’ resources can result in work-related stress involving the repeated activation of stress response systems. Modifications in the bio-molecular profile may represent a biological signature of individuals’ life experiences and provide evidence on pathways through which such stressors can result in health outcomes. The aim of our systematic review is to characterize the quality of life (QOL) and the bio-molecular profile in the working population, to highlight if the alteration observed might be related to the working conditions. The article query was performed on PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL and results have been presented according to three molecular pathways involved in the stress response: oxidative stress, inflammation, and neuroendocrine activation. The epidemiological sample has been sub-grouped into “clinical” and “non-clinical” populations according to the presence of a diagnosis of psychological disorders. Besides some critical issues, the review highlights the importance of developing a valid array of biological indicators, measurable in non-invasive matrices, sensitive to both derangements from physiological conditions and stress reduction, useful for identifying those groups at higher risk of health outcomes and, eventually, promoting workers’ wellbeing.

Impact of the Gap Between Social Workers' Work Interaction Frequency With Governments and Clients on Their Burnout in China: Mediating Effects of Role Conflict and Moderating Effects of Non-front-line Work

Background

Since the 2000s, local governments have contracted out more and more social services to social work organizations in China. Social workers are thus experiencing the inconsistency between local governments' and clients' demands and the deviation from the professional duty of helping clients, which may result in conflicting and unclear roles in their jobs and further lead to burnout. Based on the Role Stress-burnout Model and the previous theoretical and field-work investigations, this study examined the effects of the government-client work interaction frequency gap on social workers' burnout as well as the mediating effects of role ambiguity and conflict and the moderating effects of the non-front-line work.

Methods

A cross-sectional study of 2,643 front-line social workers and 2,599 supervisors or managers from 56 major cities all over China was conducted. Work burnout was measured by the 22-item three-dimension Maslach's Burnout Inventory Scale. Rizzo et al.'s 14-item scale measured role conflict and ambiguity. The government-client working interaction frequency gap was measured by the difference between the five-point level of work interaction frequency with governments minus the one with clients. Structural equation modeling was adopted to test the mediation and moderation models.

Results

Results showed that for the front-line social workers, besides directly reducing personal accomplishment, the government-client work interaction frequency gap could indirectly neutralize its alleviating effects on emotional exhaustion (Mediating effect ratio = −63.64 %), make its total effects on depersonalization significant (37.03%), and reduce personal accomplishment further (23.08%) through increasing social workers' feeling of role conflict. However, the above mediating effects of role conflict were not significant for social workers with extra management or supervision workload, revealing the moderating effects of non-front-line work.

Conclusions

This study revealed that front-line social workers in China who had more work interaction with governments and less with clients could have higher role conflict, increasing their burnout further. Therefore, social work educational programs should include adequate mental adjustment courses and practical emplacement to prepare students for the potential role conflict. Furthermore, higher-level governments should issue relevant regulations to form a collaborative rather than an employment relationship between local governments and social worker organizations.

Role Stress and Psychological Distress Among Chinese Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Moderated Mediation Model of Social Support and Burnout

OBJECTIVE

Nurses are at high risk of psychological distress including stress, depression, and anxiety due to low personnel density and high work demand. Despite mounting evidence showing that role stress is a risk factor for nurses' psychological distress, the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship are less known. This study tests the mediation effect of burnout in the association between role stress and psychological distress, and whether this mediation is moderated by social support.

METHODS

A sample of 623 Chinese nurses were recruited from all hepatological surgery departments in Hunan Province and filled out an online questionnaire to collect data on socio-demographics, role stress, burnout, psychological distress, and social support. Mediation and moderation analyses were carried out in SPSS macro-PROCESS.

RESULTS

Burnout partially mediated the positive association between role stress and psychological distress. Social support moderated the indirect effect of role stress on psychological distress via burnout, with the effect being stronger for nurses with low social support than those with high social support.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings demonstrated how role stress contributed to nurses' psychological distress both directly and indirectly through burnout, and how this indirect effect was moderated by social support. The results provide important practical implications for future prevention and intervention programs to improve nurses' mental health from multiple aspects such as decreasing role stress and burnout while increasing social support.

Feel like quitting the job? A causal attribution approach to social and work overload consequences

Purpose

In an effort to study the effects of stress factors i.e. work overload and social overload, the authors integrate causal attribution research to develop a stress outcome model. Drawing on Affective Events theory, this study aims to investigate how work and social overload lead to turnover intentions with the mediating role of emotional exhaustion.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative approach to examine the direct linkage of stress factors to turnover intention was tested for 409 respondents working at middle and senior manager level posts in the banking sector of Lahore, Pakistan. Partial least square structure equation modeling technique was applied through Smart_PLS3.0 for hypothesis testing.

Findings

Results revealed a strong relationship between stress factors (i.e. social overload and work overload) and turnover intentions in the presence of emotional exhaustion as a significant mediator.

Originality/value

The study adds value to the theory and practice by examining the understudied stress factors (social overload) along with work overload and their consequences on the employees.

Family involvement on nursing wards and the role conflicts experienced by surgical nurses: A multicentre cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

To examine among surgical nurses whether work-role conflict, work-role ambiguity, respect, distress and trust in collaboration due to interactions with family caregivers in the nursing ward are associated with the quality of contact with patients and their families.

METHODS

A multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted between January and March 2020. Surgical nurses completed a questionnaire recording work-role conflict, work-role ambiguity, sense of respect, distress, trust in collaboration and quality of contact with patients and their families. Data were analysed using correlation analysis, multiple linear regression analysis and mediation regression analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 135 nurses completed the questionnaire. The correlation analysis showed significant correlations between nurses' impaired quality of contact with patients and their families and nurses' work-role conflicts, work-role ambiguity, trust in collaboration and distress (p < 0.05). The multiple regression analyses corroborated that work-role conflict and distress were significantly and positively associated with impaired quality of contact. Furthermore, mediation regression analysis showed that work-role conflict was associated indirectly and significantly with quality of contact through distress.

CONCLUSION

Work-role conflict due to having family caregivers involved in the care of hospitalised patients is significantly associated with nurses' distress and quality of contact with patients and their families.

Determinants of emotional exhaustion among nursing workforce in urban Ghana: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The subject of emotional exhaustion organisations has become important because of the emerging trends in employment and its associated challenges. Unhealthy practice environment is a major threat in the incidence of emotional exhaustion among nurses; and any organisational culture that do not support its personnel has huge burnout costs. The study aimed at assessing rate of emotional exhaustion; determining factors that accounts for it and also ascertaining the coping strategies used by nurses to overcome it in the Ghanaian health care setting.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study with a proportionate stratified sampling was used to draw a sample from five health facilities. A standardized questionnaire of Professional Practice Environment Scale of Nursing Work Index, Maslach Burnout Inventory and Coping Scale were used to assess variables under study. The STROBE guidelines were followed in reporting this study.

RESULTS

Out of the 232 registered nurses studied, 91.1% of them reported experiencing moderate to high rate of emotional exhaustion. The practice environment of the nurses explained 39.6% of the variance in emotional exhaustion. Emotion-focused and problem-focused approaches were identified to be used by registered nurses to cope with emotional exhaustion.

CONCLUSION

When appropriate and effective intervention are employed, emotional exhaustion will be reduce and this will enrich the effectiveness of quality care delivery to patients.