J Nurs Acad Soc.  1984 Jun;14(1):21-33.

A Study of the Relationship between the Leadership Style of the Head Nurse and Nurses Burnout Level

• Kim HS

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to define the relationship between the leadership style of head nurses and the burnout level of nurses by taking into consideration the factors which influence the level of burnout and which show how burnout varies according to the leadership style of head nurses. The subjects of the survey were 355 ward nurses and their 48 head nurses working in five university hospitals in Seoul. The nurses were surveyed by means of a questionnaire from Sept. 22 though Sept. 29, 1983. The Leadership Scale devised by Fleishman, and modified by Lee, and the Burnout Scale developed by Pines et al, and adapted to the Korean situation by Peek, were used as a basis of this survey. This researcher subjected the questionnaire to a pre-test and to an internal reliability consistency test through item analysis. For the purpose of analysis of the data, the general characteristics were set at Mean and the general characteristics of head nurses in relation to the level of burnout of nurses was analysed by the Pearson Correlation Coefficient. The relation between head nurses' general characteristics and leadership style, the relation between nurses' general characteristics and level of burnout and the level of burnout of nurses according to the different style of leadership of head nurses were analysed by ANOVA. A summary of the results of the study is as follows 1. Hypothesis: "That the burnout level of the nurse will be different according to the leadership style of the head nurse" was supported. 2. Analysis of the relationship between the head nurse's general characteristics and the leadership style of the head nurse showed that the leadership style of the head nurse was not related to age and experience as head nurse. 3. Analysis of the relationship of nurses' burnout levels to general characteristics of nurses showed statistically significant differences in burnout levels according to working departments, expected working period and reasons for selecting nursing as a profession. Also, the burnout level of nurses was negatively related to the head nurse's age and experience as a head nurse.

MeSH Terms

Head*
Hospitals, University
Leadership*
Nursing
Nursing, Supervisory*
Surveys and Questionnaires
Seoul