Predictors of burnout in critical care nurses.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a conceptual path model to explain the effects of a set of personal and occupational independent variables and the dependent variables of situational stress, job stress, job satisfaction, and job motivation on burnout among critical care nurses. DESIGN: A prospective descriptive study using a conceptual path model. SETTING: Nine hospitals in the northeastern, northwestern, north central, and southern regions of Florida. SAMPLE: Three hundred female critical care nurses employed in the nine hospitals who had worked full-time for at least 3 months. INSTRUMENTS: Subjects were administered a demographic and work survey instrument, the Daily Hassles Instrument, the Psychological Hardiness Test, the Job Diagnostic Inventory, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. RESULTS: Path analysis of a burnout model resulted in a causal progression of situational stress, job stress, job satisfaction, and emotional exhaustion (which is a component of burnout). The results showed that commitment to career, health difficulties, psychologic hardiness, work load satisfaction, dealing with others at work, job security, and job satisfaction had a significant effect on emotional exhaustion. CONCLUSION: Seven variables had a significant effect on emotional exhaustion, which is a component of burnout, and explained 34% of the variance. The three most significant effects on emotional exhaustion were commitment to career, dealing with others at work and job satisfaction. Health difficulties, psychologic hardiness, work load satisfaction, and job security had a modest effect on emotional exhaustion.