Factors Associated with Emotional Exhaustion in South Korean Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective We examined associations between emotional exhaustion and selected sociodemographic and psychological factors among nurses in inpatient and outpatient nursing units at a university hospital in South Korea. Methods The participants were 386 nurses who completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory, a measure of emotional exhaustion. Psychological characteristics were evaluated, including hardiness, self-esteem, experience of trauma, resilience, perceived stress, and social support. Correlation analyses examined the relationships between emotional exhaustion with sociodemographic, occupational, and psychological characteristics. Linear regression was used to evaluate the associations between emotional exhaustion and the assessed characteristics. Results Higher emotional exhaustion scores were associated with greater depression, anxiety, traumatic experience, and perceived stress. Exhaustion was inversely associated with hardiness, self-esteem, resilience, and quality of life. The regression analysis indicated that gender, marriage, resilience, depression, perceived stress, and secondary traumatic stress were significantly associated with emotional exhaustion. Conclusion This study showed that psychological characteristics, such as resilience, depression, and secondary traumatic experiences, may cause emotional exhaustion. Understanding the needs of people with distinct demographic and psychological characteristics offers valuable direction for the development of intervention programs to prevent burnout among nurses.

Positive spiritual climate supports transformational leadership as means to reduce nursing burnout and intent to leave

“…This study indicated that nurses frequently felt emotional exhaustion and burnout. A South Korean study also reported similar mean scores for burnout in nursing (Choi et al, 2018). Previous research reports that a heavy workload and unorganised and difficult work conditions are associated with burnout in nursing (Chemali et al, 2019; Monsalve‐Reyes et al, 2018).…”

Job burnout and quality of working life among Chinese nurses: A cross‐sectional study

“…Moreover, multiple linear regression analysis indicated that job burnout was the most important factor affecting nurses' QoWL. Burnout has been found to impact nurses' ability to deal with negative emotions, nurses' work performance and patient safety (Choi et al, 2018). Nursing care is a detailed work with great responsibility, and it requires nurses to have good physical and psychological states (Lewko, Misiak, & Sierżantowicz, 2019).…”

“…Nursing care is a detailed work with great responsibility, and it requires nurses to have good physical and psychological states (Lewko, Misiak, & Sierżantowicz, 2019). Nurses with job burnout cannot invest enough energy in clinical work, identify health care error in time and provide safe and quality patient care, which might lead to adverse patient outcomes (Choi et al, 2018;See et al, 2018;Wu et al, 2016). Furthermore, burnout could affect nurses' career advancement.…”

Occupational stress, quality of working life and turnover intention amongst nurses

“…The high rates found in these studies can be explained by the fact that high levels of burnout and emotional exhaustion are prevalent in CCUs (Zhang et al , ; Lin et al , ). Burnout and emotional exhaustion are associated with greater anxiety, depression and perceived stress (Choi et al , ) and can ultimately lead to high turnover intention. However, in a Korean study examining turnover rates amongst infection control nurses, similar findings were not demonstrated (Choi and Kim, ).…”