| This quantitative research study investigated burnout in home care nurses; specifically what impact leadership behaviors and work stressors had on reported levels of emotional exhaustion. An online survey that combined the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire-5X Rater, the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey, and the Nursing Stress Scale was completed by 42 home care nurses who worked for a national home health care provider. Correlational analysis was performed that concluded relationships existed between leadership behaviors and emotional exhaustion and work stressors and emotional exhaustion. Management by exception-passive and laissez-faire transactional leadership behaviors were positively correlated with emotional exhaustion. Emotional exhaustion was negatively correlated with idealized influence attributes, idealized influence behaviors, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration, extra effort, effectiveness, satisfaction with leadership, and contingent reward. No correlation was found between emotional exhaustion and management by exception-active. Emotional exhaustion was positively correlated with lack of emotional support conflict with other nurses and supervisors, conflict with physicians, work load, inadequate preparation to deal with the emotional needs of patients, and death and dying. Regression analysis concluded 49.2% of the variability in emotional exhaustion was attributed to leadership behaviors when just leadership behaviors were entered into the analysis, and 52% of the variability in emotional exhaustion was attributed to work stressors when just work stress variables were entered into the analysis. When all independent variables were entered into the regression analysis, 75% of the variability in emotional exhaustion was attributed to leadership behavior and work stress combined. |
