A STUDY TO EXAMINE IF THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BURNOUT AND HARDINESS OF NURSES WORKING WITH ONCOLOGY PATIENTS.
Contributors: Temple University.
Published: 1987
Number of pages: 91
Subjects: Education, Health.
Description: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between burnout and hardiness of nurses working with cancer patients. The sample consisted of 121 registered nurses working with cancer patients at 3 hospitals in the state of R.I.

To investigate the relationship between burnout and hardiness the present study used the same questionnaire with some minor modifications employed by Keane et al (1985). Section I contained a page of descriptive background data. Section II of the study contained items from the Alienation Test (Alienation from Work, Alienation from Self, Powerlessness) as well as the items from the Security Scale. These items together measure hardiness. Consistent with the Keane et al study, the items were presented in a randomized order. This section plus the Locus of Control Scale and the Staff Burnout Scale for Health Professionals were randomized and presented as parts of Sections II, III, and IV of the questionnaire. The last part of the questionnaire contained open-ended questions to assess how the nurses felt about their jobs in a less structured fashion.

Based on the data collected and used to report the findings of this study, the following conclusions are: (1) Oncology nurses who have higher levels of hardiness are less subject to burnout. The correlations between burnout and the hardiness variables present a fairly clear picture, the hardiness variables correlate as predicted with burnout. (2) Oncology nurses with control over life events differ from those without control with respect to burnout as measured by a series of open-ended questions assessing oncology nurses perception of and reactions to their jobs. (3) Oncology nurses did not differ from other "specialty nurses with respect to burnout as measured by the SBS-HP, developed by Jones (1980a; 1980b). (4) As with Keane et al (1985), if the link between powerlessness and burnout is correct, then there are certain implications for both the education and hiring of nurses.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-02, Section: A, page: 0309.

Thesis (ED.D.)--TEMPLE UNIVERSITY, 1987.

School code: 0225.