The Relationship Between Peer-Support System And Job Burnout In Nurses

ObjectivesOur study aims to analyze the nurses' job burnout status and its influential factors. Then we set the intervention strategies by establishing the baseline of job burnout and peer support. The effective peer support interventions were also studied in order to alleviate job burnout. Then it will provide theoretical and applicable basic for the nursing managers and nursing researchers.MethodsA prospective study using a quantitative and qualitative assessment strategy was carried out in Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital affiliated to Medical College Of Zhejiang University. Nurses selected randomly were investigated with questionnaires and semi-structure interview in March 2006. Based on the investigated results, we established the baseline of job burnout and peer support, and the intervention program. One year after intervention begun, we investigated the sample by vertical control assessment in the same way in March 2007. The questionnaires consisted of general information, Nursing Job Stress Inventory, Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Peer Support Scale. Interviews were conducted following semi-structured interview outline. Collected data was analyzed with SPSS13.0 statistic software. Descriptive statistics analysis, correlation analysis, multiple stepwise regression anaylsis, u-test, t-test and chi square test were used. Ground theory was applied to interview data collection and classification.ResultsQuantitative investigation results indicated that: there was a moderate job burnout among nurses. There were differences compared with Hangzhou normal model,especially higher diminished personal accomplishment in this sample (P<0.01). Peer support cognized by nurses arranged by objective support, action plan and goal setting.There was a significant correlation between marriage status and emotional exhaustion, working years and depersonalization, education level and diminished personal accomplishment (P<0.05). Emotional exhaustion had a significantly positive correlation with all variables of job stressors except professional knowledge (P<0.01). There was also a significantly positive correlation between depersonalization and social approval, workload, management atmosphere and total job stress (P<0.01). Diminished personal accomplishment was negatively correlated with job pressure (P>0.05). We found significant correlations between peer support and job burnout, especially objective support, subjective support and cooperation (P<0.01). By multiple stepwise regression analysis, we found that only objective support played as a direct intermediary in job stresss and depersonalization (P<0.01). And other peer support variables had indirect effects between these two.After intervention, the results suggested that job burnout changed compared with the norm. Depersonalization was significantly lower than the norm (P<0.01). Objective support, subjective support and empathy were cognized greater by nurses. The total level of job burnout was alleviated with significantly lower depersonalization decreasing (P<0.01), moderate lower emotional exhaustion (P>0.05) and higher diminished personal accomplishment (P>0.05).Qualitative results showed that: nurses suffered job burnout experience such as physical fatigue, overload mental pressure, low personal accomplishment. But their emotion, interpersonal relationship and personal accomplishment had been improved after intervention. Nurses also had a positive and welcoming attitude to peer support. They suggested that it should be strengthened and expanded to all nurses, carried out in diverse forms, and also self quality of supporters should be improved.ConclusionsThere is a high incidence rate of job burnout in this sample. Demographic variables and job pressure could affect job burnout. Peer support has a great correlation with jobburnout. The results suggest that we should decrease depersonalization by objective support, and alleviate emotional exhaustion and diminishied personal accomplishment by other methods.Peer support effects positively in job pressure and job burnout, especially depersonalization decreases significantly which is good for maintaining nurse health, changing work attitude, and improving nurse-patient relationship and doctor-nurse relationship. Nurses advance kinds of suggestions to improve peer support. Peer support is a new concept to intervene job burnout.There were some limitations in this study. The sample should be expanded. Further study should be done to identify peer support impaction in different nurses, and the relationship between job burnout and other aftereffect variables.