Job strain and burnout in Spanish nurses during the COVID-19: resilience as a protective factor in a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Nurses are frequently exposed to chronic stress in the workplace generating harmful effects such as job strain and burnout. On the contrary, resilience has been shown to be a beneficial variable. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between dimensions of the Job Demand Control-Support model, resilience and burnout in nurses, and examine the mediating role of resilience between job strain and burnout. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional study reported in line with the STROBE guidelines. Active nurses were invited to complete an online questionnaire in September, 2020. With snowball sampling, 1013 nurses, with a mean age of 34.71, filled out the Job Content Questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Resilience Scale. Results The results showed the existence of four groups of professionals based on job strain. The nurses in the “High Strain” group (high demands and low control) showed higher scores in emotional exhaustion and cynicism, while those in the “Active Job” group scored higher in personal realization and resilience. The findings showed that job strain affects burnout in nurses, and this effect is mediated by resilience. Conclusions The findings of this study showed that a high level of resilience could exert a fundamental role in ensuring well-being and proper job performance by nurses. Nursing managers should see to the personable variables or competencies that provide and favor an opportunity for nurses to widen and improve their practice, in pursuance of satisfying and responding better to people’s needs and the systems they work for.

Psychosocial strain and coping of Finnish working mothers during the COVID-19 lockdown: a job demand-control approach

“…They discuss that the experienced social support helped the teachers cope with the changes and uncertainty the pandemic brought and made them more satisfied with their job even in the stressful, new situation. Similar link between job strain and burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic was found for nurses (18).…”

“…In previous research about the COVID-19 pandemic, Karasek's model has been utilized mostly when investigating the strain experienced by healthcare workers and teachers [e.g., (16)(17)(18)]. The increased demands at work during the COVID-19 pandemic have been confirmed to predict increased feelings of burnout for Spanish teachers (17).…”

“…There has been a lot of research on strain and homeschooling during the COVID-19 period, but less research has been done on combining paid work, homeschooling, and domestic work from the mother's perspective. Most of the research during the COVID-19 pandemic using Karasek's job demand-control model has focused on healthcare workers and school personnel [e.g., (16)(17)(18)]. The current research brings new knowledge about the lockdown period by extending the JDC model to include not only paid work but also domestic work during the lockdown.…”

The relationship between COVID-19 event strength and job burnout among primary health care staff: The chain mediating effect of job stress and work engagement

“…The high workload, unsafe workplace, and lack of training resulted in increased job stress [54,55]. The study conducted by Molero et al based on the JDC model also found that nurses' work stress surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, and even led to job burnout [47]. Therefore, we presume that COVID-19 event strength may be able to in uence PHC medical staff job burnout through job stress.…”

“…Speci cally, the model argues that job-related stress arises when individuals experience high job demands and low job control simultaneously. Several studies have revealed that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic imposes tremendous work demands and limited work control on medical personnel [47,48]. Consequently, the COVID-19 event strength may heighten job stress among medical personnel, leading to adverse impacts on their health and well-being [44].…”