SELF-CONCEPT, PROFESSIONAL ROLE DISCREPANCY, AND BURNOUT AMONG PROFESSIONAL NURSES EMPLOYED IN HOSPITAL SETTINGS.
Contributors: New York University.
Published: 1985
Number of pages: 159
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between self-concept, perception of professional role discrepancy, and intensity of burnout among professional nurses employed in hospital settings. Research has suggested that (a) burnout results from stress in the work setting and (b) that self-concept moderates the effect of burnout. Burnout is defined as increased emotional exhaustion, increased depersonalization, and decreased personal accomplishment.

It was hypothesized that: Professional nurses with more positive self-concepts would experience lower levels of burnout; professional nurses with higher professional role discrepancy would experience higher levels of burnout; and self-concept with professional role discrepancy would be a better predictor of burnout than either parameter independently.

The instruments--the Tennessee Self Concept Scale, the Pieta Nurse Role Conception Scale, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory were voluntarily completed by 129 female staff nurses employed in seven medical centers in the New York metropolitan area. Data relevant to the hypotheses were subjected to correlation and multiple regression analyses. As predicted, self-concept was inversely related to burnout. Professional role discrepancy was positively related to the Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization phases of burnout. Contrary to expectations, professional role discrepancy was not related to the Personal Accomplishment phase of burnout. The combination of self-concept and professional role discrepancy was a better predictor of burnout for the Emotional Exhaustion phase of burnout; the best predictor of the Depersonalization and Personal Accomplishment phases of burnout was self-concept.

Ancillary data analyses indicated that age was negatively associated with burnout; number of weekly work hours and time in administrative duties were positively associated with Emotional Exhaustion; Caucasian nurses experienced significantly higher levels of Depersonalization than Black, Hispanic, or Asian participants; and participation in a Bicultural Training program was associated with lower levels of the Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization phases of burnout.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-04, Section: B, page: 1491.

Thesis (PH.D.)--NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, 1985.

School code: 0146.