Moderating Effect of Coping on Perceived Organizational Support and Burnout among Nursing Professionals

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the moderating effect of coping strategies on the relationship between perceived organizational support and burnout among nursing professionals. Burnout has become a significant concern in the healthcare industry with potential adverse implications on patient care and organizational output. Having a clear understanding of the factors that influence burnout is imperative in reducing the number of nurses that are either already burnt out or are at a higher risk of burnout. In this cross-sectional design, a total of 279 nurses were reached out to for this study. Self-report questionnaires were used to measure all three of the variables, each with good reliability and cultural validity. Burnout was measured across the facets of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal achievement; coping strategies were measured in terms of problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, and avoidant coping; and the perceived organizational support was measured in terms of how high or low it was reported. Using the SPSS 26 and Hayes PROCESS software, descriptive analyses, an independent samples t-test, Pearson correlation and moderation analyses were carried out. The results indicated that perceived organizational support shows a weak negative correlation with emotional exhaustion and a weak positive correlation with personal achievement; and emotion focused coping and avoidant coping were significant moderators for the relationship between perceived organizational support and burnout. No gender differences were found for each of these variables. These findings can provide an insight into how organizations and career guidance counselors can promote a more supportive work environment for nurses, for their personal and professional growth, by providing resources, such as training workshops and seminars on learning how to engage in adaptive coping strategies while avoiding maladaptive coping strategies.