Effects of Burnout and Social Support on Clinical Nurses’ Professional Quality of Life during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose : This study aimed to investigate the effects of burnout and social support on the quality of professional life of clinical nurses during the COVID-19 crisis. Methods : This descriptive study was participants comprised 140 nurses caring for COVID-19 patients in a general hospital. Questionnaire survey data were collected between February 7, 2022 and March 4, 2022, and analyzed using SPSS 23.0. Data analysis included frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation, and stepwise multiple regression. Result : We found that burnout negatively correlated with compassion satisfaction and positively correlated with compassion fatigue. Social support also positively correlated with compassion satisfaction and negatively correlated with compassion fatigue. The factor most significantly affecting compassion satisfaction was job satisfaction(β＝-.31, p＜.001), fallowed by burnout(β＝-.25, p＝.002), and social support(β＝.25, p＝.001), and the explanatory power was 39%. The factor most significantly affecting compassion fatigue was burnout(β＝.54, p ＜.001), fallowed by social support(β＝-.34, p＜.001), and nursing period for patients with COVID-19(β＝-.18, p ＝.004), and the explanatory power was 56%. Conclusion : Clinical nurses require psychological and emotional support as well as active counseling programs to reduce their burnout and compassion fatigue and improve their professional quality of life. Legal and administrative systems should also ensure adequate compensation and improve the working environment for nurses in government, medical institutions and nursing organization.