Nurses' emotional exhaustion: Prevalence, psychosocial risk factors and association to sick leave depending on care setting - A quantitative secondary analysis
Aims: To explore differences in the prevalence, psychosocial risk factors and the connection to annual sick leave of nurses' emotional exhaustion depending on the care setting.
Design: Quantitative study.
Methods: We conducted a secondary data analysis of a cross-sectional, representative survey with German nurses (BIBB/BAuA-Employment Survey 2018). We analysed data from three groups of nurses (hospital care HC: n = 333, nursing homes NH: n = 143, home health care HHC: n = 109). We calculated prevalence estimates for all psychosocial risk factors and emotional exhaustion and utilized Χ2-tests to explore differences relating to the care setting. We calculated risk estimates using logistic regression analyses.
Results: Forty-four per cent of all nurses reported symptoms of emotional exhaustion. Care settings did not affect prevalence estimates (HC: 45.3%, NH: 37.8%, HHC: 50.5%). Weekend work was a risk factor for exhaustion. Being at the limit of efficiency was the only work-related psychosocial risk factor being independent of the care setting. Emotional demands were a significant risk factor for nurses working in HC and NH, and low team cooperation was a risk factor for nurses working in NH. Nurses' emotional exhaustion is associated with more sick leave days.
Conclusions: The high prevalence of nurses' emotional exhaustion is independent of the care setting. This threatens nurses' health and negatively affects the organization and society due to the relation to sick leave. Weekend work and quantitative demands relate to exhaustion independently of the care context. Emotional demands and low team cooperation show context-specific correlations.
Impact: Organizational interventions that limit quantitative demands are needed to prevent exhaustion among nurses. In HC and NH, measures are needed to improve coping with emotional demands and to strengthen team cooperation. Policymakers and nursing managers should take action to address nurses' emotional exhaustion.
The complete article is published in the "Journal of Advanced Nursing" (2023).
First Online: 24. October 2022
Bibliographic information
Title: Nurses' emotional exhaustion: Prevalence, psychosocial risk factors and association to sick leave depending on care setting - A quantitative secondary analysis.
in: Journal of Advanced Nursing, Volume 79, Issue 1, 2023. pages: 182-193, Project number: F 2521, DOI: 10.1111/jan.15471
