The Mediating Role of Coping Style in the Relationship between Psychological Capital and Burnout among Chinese Nurses

Yongqing Ding; Yanjie Yang; Xiuxian Yang; Tiehui Zhang; Xiaohui Qiu; Xin He; Wenbo Wang; Lin Wang; Hong Sui

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0122128

The Mediating Role of Coping Style in the Relationship between Psychological Capital and Burnout among Chinese Nurses

PLoS One. 2015 Apr 21;10(4):e0122128. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122128. eCollection 2015.

Authors

Yongqing Ding¹, Yanjie Yang², Xiuxian Yang², Tiehui Zhang³, Xiaohui Qiu², Xin He⁴, Wenbo Wang², Lin Wang², Hong Sui⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, the College of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China; The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Daqing, Heilongjiang Province, China.
² Department of Psychology, the College of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
³ Department of Surgery, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Daqing, Heilongjiang Province, China.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Daqing, Heilongjiang Province, China.
⁵ Department of Health Statistics, the College of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.

Abstract

Background: Burnout is recognized as an occupational hazard, and nursing has a high risk of burnout. This study aims to explore the relationship between psychological capital (PsyCap) and burnout among Chinese nurses and the mediating role of coping style in this relationship.

Methods: A total of 1,496 nurses (effective response rate: 80.11%) from two large general hospitals in Daqing City of China were selected as participants. Data were collected via the Chinese Maslach Burnout Inventory (CMBI), the psychological capital questionnaire (PCQ-24), the Chinese Trait Coping Style Questionnaire (TCSQ) and demographic and caregiver-patient relationship. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were performed to explore the mediating role of positive coping and negative coping, and we used the Bootstrap method to confirm the mediating effect.

Results: Self-efficacy, hope, resilience and optimism of nurses were all negatively related with emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment among Chinese nurses. Positive coping partially mediated the relationship between hope/optimism and emotional exhaustion and between self-efficacy/optimism and reduced personal accomplishment. Negative coping fully mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and emotional exhaustion, and in the regression model self-efficacy was positively correlated with emotional exhaustion. And negative coping also partially mediated the relationship between hope/optimism and emotional exhaustion and between optimism and depersonalization.

Conclusion: PsyCap had effects on burnout and coping style was a mediator in this relationship among Chinese nurses. Nurses who had a strong sense of self-efficacy adopted more negative coping style, which in turn would lead to higher levels of emotional exhaustion. These findings shed light on the influence of negative coping on burnout, and positive coping was a positive resource for fighting against nurses' burnout. Hence, in order to avoid negative coping style, improve skill of coping and enhance PsyCap of nurses, active interventions should be developed in the future.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adaptation, Psychological
Adult
Burnout, Professional / prevention & control
Burnout, Professional / psychology*
China
Cross-Sectional Studies
Emotions
Female
Humans
Male
Nurses / psychology*
Stress, Psychological / complications

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81473054) to Prof. Yanjie Yang and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81202213) to Xiuxian Yang. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.