Burnout and depression among nurses in Japan and China: the moderating effects of job satisfaction and absence

Abstract

This study focuses on the relationships between emotional exhaustion and other dimensions of burnout as well as depression among nurses in Japan and China. Attitudinal and behavioral moderators as coping mechanisms are suggested to mitigate the effect of emotional exhaustion on depersonalization, diminished personal accomplishment and depression. More specifically, we analyze the alleviating effect of absence and the moderating effect of job satisfaction as a compensatory coping mechanism. Data were collected from 239 nurses in Japan and 550 nurses in mainland China. The study used existing measures with appropriate translations. The instruments exhibited satisfactory psychometric properties for both samples. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and hierarchical moderated regression using both two-way and three-way interactions were employed to analyze the data. Job satisfaction and absence were found to moderate the relationship between emotional exhaustion and depression simultaneously among both Japanese and Chinese nurses. Job satisfaction and absence simultaneously moderated the effect of emotional exhaustion on diminished personal accomplishment among Japanese nurses only. The theoretical role of job satisfaction and absence in alleviating the detrimental effects of emotional exhaustion, and their practical significance for healthcare in general, and for the management of nurses in Japan and China in particular are discussed.

Keywords:

• absenteeism
• burnout
• China
• depression
• Japan
• job satisfaction

Acknowledgement

Financial support for the present study from SSHRC (410-2003-1014) is gratefully acknowledged.