Relationship between head nurse leadership and nurses' burnout: parallel mediation of job demands and job resources among clinical nurses.

BACKGROUND

Many elements in the workplace contribute to nurses' burnout experiences, affecting patient safety and the healthcare organizations' efficiency. Leaders' presence and conduct are the most potent "master" factors in every work setting. Although previous studies have shown that head nurse leadership, job demands, job resources, and job burnout are significantly related, the interaction mechanism remains unclear. This study investigates the parallel mediating roles of job demands and job resources between head nurse leadership and job burnout in nursing staff.

METHODS

A cross-sectional, anonymous, and confidential online survey was conducted from March to June 2024 to collect data from 579 registered nurses in four hospitals in Hunan provinces. The independent variable was head nurse leadership, the mediating variables were job demands and resources, and the dependent variable was job burnout. Parallel mediation analysis was performed using the PROCESS macro in SPSS.

RESULTS

This study found that head nurse leadership negatively relates to nurses' burnout. The parallel mediation analysis suggests that job resources and job demands play parallel roles in the relationship between head nurse leadership and job burnout. As predicted, head nurse leadership weakened job burnout through job resources and contributed to job burnout through job demands.

CONCLUSION

This study finding highlights the importance of head nurse leadership in decreasing nurses' job burnout and reveals two potential mechanisms through which head nurse leadership is related to nurses' burnout. By understanding the role of head nurse leadership, job demands, and job resources, interventions can be targeted to improve nurses' mental health.