Occupational burnout, tolerance for stress, and coping among nurses in rehabilitation units.

Abstract

Timothy R. ElliottRichard ShewchukUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamKristofer HagglundUniversity of Missouri-ColumbiaBruce RybarczykRush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center Chicago, ILStephen HarkinsMedical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth UniversityABSTRACT. The relation of problem-solving confidence, perceived tolerance,and situation-specific coping efforts to occupational burnout was examinedamong nurses in physical rehabilitation units. Consistent with predictions,confidence in one's ability to handle problems and perceived tolerance weresignificantly predictive of lower burnout scores, regardless of time spent on thejob. Of the coping variables, emotion-focused coping was significantly associ-ated with higher burnout scores. Post-hoc inspection of self-reported copingactivities generated in response to a thought-listing probe indicated that somecoping efforts (e.g., taking time off from work, confronting a supervisor) couldbe construed as symptoms of burnout, according to theoretical conceptualizations.Implications for contemporary notions of burnout and psychosocial interven-tions with rehabilitation staff are discussed.Occupational burnout is considered endemic to the human service professions,and the construct has achieved considerable — albeit uncritical — acceptancein the popular culture and contemporary workplace. People in the humanservice professions are particularly at risk for burnout as their work isemotionally involving, and work outcomes can be relatively independent o f theeffort exerted by the professional (Maslach & Jackson, 1982; Pines & Aronson,1989). Occupational burnout is associated with increased work experience