Situational and dispositional predictors of nurse manager burnout: a time-lagged analysis

Background  Burnout among nurses is a serious condition that threatens their own health and that of their patients. In current health care settings, nurses are particularly at risk for burnout given the increased patient acuity and the worsening nursing shortage.

Aim  This study examined the influence of effort-reward imbalance, a situational variable, and core self-evaluation, a dispositional variable, on nurse managers’ burnout levels over a 1-year period.

Methods  A predictive longitudinal survey design was used to examine the relationships described in the model. One hundred and thirty-four nurse managers responded to a mail survey at two points in time.

Results  As hypothesized, both personal and situational factors influenced nurse manager burnout over a 1-year time frame. Although burnout levels at Time 1 accounted for significant variance in emotional exhaustion levels 1 year later (β = 0.355), nurses’ effort-reward imbalance (β = 0.371) and core self-evaluations (β = −0.166) explained significant additional amounts of variance in burnout 1 year later.

Conclusion  Both personal and situational factors contribute to nurse manager burnout over time.

Implications for nursing management  Managers must consider personal and contextual factors when creating work environments that prevent burnout and foster positive health among nurses at work.