The Mediating Role of Emotion Management, Self-Efficacy and Emotional Intelligence in Clinical Nurses Related to Negative Psychology and Burnout

Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2023 Aug 24:16:3333-3345. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S417729. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Objective: To explore the influence of negative psychology and burnout in clinical nurses, and to analyse the mediating role between self-efficacy and emotional intelligence in emotion management.

Methods: From January 2022 to December 2022, 12,704 clinical nurses from 32 general hospitals in Hunan Province were selected as research participants by convenience sampling. Negative psychology, emotion management, self-efficacy, emotional intelligence and burnout in clinical nurses were measured, and structural equation models were constructed to explore their impact on burnout in clinical nurses.

Results: Clinical nurses' negative psychology had a positive effect on burnout (β=0.60, 95% CI: 0.63-0.66), emotional intelligence (β=-0.08, 95% CI: -0.10, -0.06) and the self-efficacy of emotion management (β=-0.60, 95% CI: -0.05, -0.03) on burnout. Moreover, emotional intelligence and emotion management self-efficacy played a mediating role between negative psychology and burnout in nurses.

Conclusion: Clinical nurses' negative psychology had a positive impact on burnout, and emotional intelligence and the self-efficacy of emotion management could alleviate the influence of negative psychology on burnout among nurses. Nurses' emotional intelligence and emotion management self-efficacy can be improved through practical training to help them cope with emotionally loaded situations and reduce stress responses.

Keywords: clinical nurse; emotional intelligence; emotional management self-efficacy; job burnout; negative psychology.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Hunan Provincial Science and Technology Department’s Inclusive Policy and Innovation Environment Construction Plan Science Popularization Special Fund (Project Number:2021ZK4058).