| Critical care nurses (CCN) work under stressful conditions that can lead to burnout (i.e., Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and low Personal Accomplishment Maslach, Jackson, & Leiter, 1996). This study examined how everyday nonwork irritants (hassles) and daily nonwork events that are pleasant (uplifts) contributed to the level of burnout in CCNs. Data was collected from a sample of CCNs (n = 44) employed at a private hospital. CCNs consisted of intensive care nurses (n = 16) and emergency room nurses (n = 28) working either full-time or part-time. CCNs completed a demographic questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach et al., 1996), and a modified version of the Daily Hassles Scale/Daily Uplifts Scale (Lazarus & Folkman, 1989). A multiple linear regression was calculated to predict each component of burnout (Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and low Personal Accomplishment) based on CCNs perceived daily hassles and uplifts. Daily hassles were found to be a significant predictor of all three burnout components. The results held even when work related hassles were removed from the scale. Daily hassles significantly predicted Emotional Exhaustion, R2 = .40, F(5, 35) = 4.73, p < .002 Depersonalization, R2 = .37, F(5, 35) = 4.12, p < .005 and lack of Personal Accomplishment, R2 = .35, F(5, 35) = 3.78, p < .008. Daily uplifts were not found to be a significant predictor of the dimensions of burnout. This study suggests that factors unrelated to work contribute to burnout in CCNs. These findings could assist employee assistance programs streamline their interventions to buffer against the detrimental effects of nonwork-related stressors. |
