Relationship between burnout, psychological empowerment, and gender role orientation in long term-care nurses

Abstract

The influence o f psychological empowerment and gender roles on burnout was investigated. Ninety-six nurses employed at long-term care facilities completed the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (Spence, Helmreich, & Stapp, 1974), Spreitzer’s (1995) Psychological Empowerment Scale, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (Maslach & Jackson, 1996). No significant associations were observed between the perceived importance of empowerment factors and burnout. However, all participants’ current (on-the-job) perceptions of empowerment were significantly related to global burnout (rs = -.30 to -.54, ps < .001). Empowerment disparity scores (perceived importance minus current perceptions) were even more strongly associated with burnout scores (rs = .34 to .60, ps < .001). Dominance scores were significantly associated with personal accomplishment scores (i = .38, p < .001) and global burnout scores (r = -.25, p < .01). Affiliation was only related to depersonalization scores (r = -.27, p < .01). Finally, the influence o f gender role on the relationship between empowerment and burnout was examined using moderated regression analyses. Dominance and affiliation moderated a number o f relationships, but the effects were modest (R2 changes < .052). These findings highlight the importance of psychological empowerment as a factor associated with burnout, and suggest that gender role might interact with empowerment.