Exploring Psychosocial Variables and Professional Well-Being in Nurse Leaders: A Predictive Correlational Study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Leadership
• Healthcare Management
• Psychology

Background:

• Nurse leaders are vital for organizational success and patient care.
• High job demands can negatively impact nurse leaders' work-life balance and professional well-being.
• Limited research exists on psychosocial well-being factors in nurse leaders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify variables associated with psychological well-being in nurse leaders.
• To explore relationships between self-compassion, life satisfaction, resilience, stress, and burnout.
• To determine predictors of burnout and resilience in this population.

Main Methods:

• Prospective observational study of 105 nurse leaders in the southwestern US.
• Assessed self-compassion, life satisfaction, resilience, perceived stress, and burnout.
• Analyzed relationships and identified predictors of burnout subscales and resilience.

Main Results:

• Most nurse leaders reported high life satisfaction, self-compassion, and resilience, but also high stress.
• Significant levels of disengagement and exhaustion were observed.
• Higher self-compassion correlated with greater resilience; lower life satisfaction and self-compassion predicted higher disengagement and exhaustion.

Conclusions:

• Elevated stress, disengagement, and exhaustion place nurse leaders at risk for poor well-being and turnover.
• Interventions promoting professional well-being and self-compassion are needed for nurse leaders.
• Further research on the outcomes of such interventions is recommended.