The Association between Professional Quality of Life, Occupational Burnout, Depression, Anxiety, and Stress among Iranian Nurses (2019)

The professional quality of life (ProQOL) and occupational burnout are two central factors related to nurses' job performance. Nurses' job performance might be affected by work stress and compassion. In the present study, the association of ProQOL of nurses with burnout, depression, anxiety, and stress was investigated.

In this descriptive study, 282 nurses were invited to help with the survey. Demographics Scale, Maslach Burnout Questionnaire, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and ProQOL Questionnaire were used to collect the data.

Most participants have an average degree of compassion satisfaction (CS) (63.2%) and compassion fatigue (CF) (57.1%). Also, most nurses had low scores for occupational burnout (39.3%). A significant negative correlation was found between CS with CF (p < 0.001). Occupational burnout (p = 0.019), anxiety (p = 0.015), and depression (p < 0.008) subscales had a significant negative correlation with CS. There was a significant correlation between the CF and subscales of occupational burnout, anxiety, stress, and depression (p < 0.001). The CF predicted 18% of variance in CS (R2 = 18%) (p < 0.001). The CS, depression, and occupational burnout predicted 25% of variance in CF (R2 = 25%) (p < 0.001).

In this study, the CS, depression, and occupational burnout were important variables affecting the level of CF. Healthcare service leaders and nurse managers should make efforts promoting emotional wellbeing among nurses. Therefore, future studies need to pay more attention to the CF and its associated factors.