Burnout Patterns in Public Health Nurses: Nonlinear Effects of Age and Years of Service in the JD-R Framework

To examine how age and years of service influence occupational burnout among public health nurses (PHNs) in Taiwan, using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) framework.

A pre-pandemic cross-sectional survey supplemented by focus group interviews.

A total of 751 PHNs from township-level health centers in Taiwan.

Hierarchical regression models tested linear, quadratic, and interaction effects of age and years of service on work- and client-related burnout. All continuous variables were mean-centered. Focus group data informed interpretation.

Work-related burnout exhibited an inverted U-shaped pattern across age groups, with levels highest among nurses approximately age 41. In contrast, client-related burnout showed progressively lower levels across older age groups. Years of service moderated these age-burnout relationships: longer tenure was associated with lower burnout among younger nurses but sustained or elevated burnout among older staff.

Burnout vulnerability differs across PHNs at varying ages and levels of seniority, reflecting cross-sectional differences among career-stage groups. Based on these observed group differences, early-career support, mid-career workload adjustment, and late-career reengagement strategies may help sustain Taiwan's public health nursing workforce.