Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies Predict Burnout in Geriatric Nursing Staff

ABSTRACT

Objectives

Burnout contributes to high turnover rates, medical errors, and poor patient satisfaction in geriatric nursing staff. Nurses’ cognitive emotion regulation (ER) strategies are emerging as an important personal resource related to burnout that are modifiable with intervention. This study examined the association between cognitive ER strategies and burnout among geriatric nursing staff.

Methods

Participants were 54 nurses (RNs, LPNs, CNA/UWs) with a mean age of 43.1 years (SD = 12.2), majority female (96.3%), and racially diverse: Black (20.4%), White (63.0%), and Other (13.0%).

Results

After controlling for CVs, cognitive ER strategies accounted for unique variance in depersonalization, but did not account for unique variance in emotional exhaustion or personal accomplishment. Rumination was associated with greater depersonalization, and greater refocus on planning was associated with lower depersonalization.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that depersonalization may be most impacted by ER; however, other ER strategies may be important that were not included in the current study (e.g., experiential avoidance, mindfulness). Future research is needed with additional ER strategies and larger samples.

Clinical Implications

Findings support the use of person-centered interventions, such as cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness-based techniques, to improve stress management and decrease depersonalization.

KEYWORDS:

• Burnout
• nursing
• aging
• emotion regulation
• geriatric workforce
• long-term care

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.