Effect of positive psychological capital on burnout in public hospital nurses: Mediating effect of compassion fatigue is greater than compassion satisfaction

AimAlthough relationships among positive psychological capital (PsyCap), compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burnout have been reported, causal relationships among these variables have not been identified. This study examined the influence of positive PsyCap on burnout and confirmed the mediating effects of compassion fatigue and satisfaction among public hospital nurses.MethodsThis study adopted a correlational cross‐sectional design. We recruited 237 nurses working at a public hospital, using convenience sampling.ResultsThe fit of the hypothetical model was adequate. Positive PsyCap directly affected compassion fatigue and satisfaction, and burnout. It had an indirect effect on burnout. Compassion fatigue and satisfaction directly affect burnout. This finding indicates that compassion fatigue and satisfaction partially mediate between positive PsyCap and burnout. In addition, the mediating effect of compassion fatigue was greater than that of compassion satisfaction on the relationship between positive PsyCap and burnout. Finally, positive PsyCap, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction explained 70.4% of the total variance in burnout scores. The effect size (f2) was 2.38 (large effect size).ConclusionsBurnout should be assessed with positive PsyCap, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction among public hospital nurses. Given that the mediating effect of compassion fatigue was greater than that of compassion satisfaction, interventions for compassion fatigue may be a strategy to reduce burnout, especially among public hospital nurses with low levels of positive PsyCap.