Nursing teachers’ job burnout and teaching ability: The mediating role of social support based on the Person-Context interaction theory

Abstract

Background

Great attention has been attached to the quality of nursing along with the development of medical treatment, which gives rise to the higher demand for colleges to cultivate high-quality nursing students, as well as the higher standard for teaching performance of the nursing faculty.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the effect of teachers’ job burnout on teaching ability among nursing teachers in Chinese colleges and to examine the mediating role of social support in this relationship based on the Person-context interaction theory.

Design

A cross-sectional descriptive design has been adopted.

Methods

From February to June 2021, a total of 416 Chinese nursing teachers from 27 colleges filled out the questionnaires with a response rate of 97.42%. The questionnaire included general demographic questionnaire, teaching ability in nursing scale, teacher burnout scale and social support scale. The data were analyzed by SPSS26.0 statistical software in terms of Pearson’s correlation the Structural Equation Model (SEM) was adopted to test the mediating effect of social support between job burnout and teaching ability in nursing of nursing teachers using Mplus 8.3.

Results

Job burnout of nursing teachers was negatively and significantly correlated with the teaching ability in nursing and social support (p < 0.01). And Structural Equation Model results showed that social support mediated the relationship between teacher burnout and teaching ability in nursing.

Conclusions

Social support could help nursing teachers manage their job burnout, and eventually help them overcome the negative impact of teachers’ job burnout on teaching ability in nursing. Social support could promote the teaching ability of nursing teachers by playing an intermediary role between them.

Practice points

• The teaching ability of nursing teachers is related to the cultivation of nursing students and it is particularly important to attach importance to and improve their teaching ability in practical teaching.

• Person-context interaction theory provide a favorable theoretical framework to explore how variables such as individual factors (teacher job burnout) and external factors (social support) affect nursing teachers’ teaching ability.

• Nursing teachers’ job burnout can affect their teaching ability, which requires attention from educators.

• Social support plays a mediating role between teachers’ job burnout and teaching ability, and educators should attach importance to the role of social support.

• To help nursing educators in colleges overcome the negative effects of job burnout, we should fully utilize the role of social support and develop their ability in nursing teaching.

Keywords:

• Nursing teachers
• teachers’ job burnout
• social support
• teaching ability in nursing

Acknowledgments

We extend our gratitude to the 27 universities and all the nursing teachers involved for their support and cooperation.

Authors’ contributions

Chao Wu, Jing Wu and Juan Du wrote the main manuscript text. Lu Li, Yanling Du and Shizhe He distributed questionnaires to nursing teachers. Yinjuan Zhang contributed to the writing and revision of articles. Kejian Yang, Yuhai Zhang and Hongjuan Lang contributed to the analysis and processing of data.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Funding

Teaching research project of Air Force Military Medical University [grant:34].

Notes on contributors

Wu Chao

Chao Wu, MD, Ph.D, Student of Nursing Department, Air Force Medical University, Shaanxi, China.

Wu Jing

Jing Wu, MB, Student of Nursing Department, Air Force Medical University, Shaanxi, China.

Du Juan

Juan Du, MB, Assistant Teacher of Nursing Department, Air Force Medical University, Shaanxi, China.

Li Lu

Lu Li, MB, Head Nurse of Department of Anesthesia Intensive Care Unit, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University, Shaanxi, China.

Zhang Yinjuan

Yinjuan Zhang, Ph.D, Student of Nursing Department, Air Force Medical University, Shaanxi, China.

Du Yanling

Yanling Du, MD, Ph.D, Assistant Teacher of Nursing Department, Air Force Medical University, Shaanxi, China.

He Shizhe

Shizhe He, MB, Assistant Teacher of Nursing Department, Air Force Medical University, Shaanxi, China.

Yang Kejian

Kejian Yang, MD, Ph.D, Doctor of The 960th hospital of the PLA joint logistics support force, Shandong, China.

Zhang Yuhai

Yuhai Zhang, MD, Ph.D, Professor of Department of Health Statistics, School of Preventive Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Shaanxi, China.

Lang Hongjuan

Hongjuan Lang, MB, Associate Dean, Nursing Department, Air Force Medical University, Shaanxi, China.