COMMUNAL ORIENTATION AND THE BURNOUT SYNDROME AMONG NURSES - A REPLICATION AND EXTENSION

The present study focused on the distinction between two equity consid erations in ''people'' jobs: the relationship with the recipients with whom one works and the exchange relationship with the organization fo r which one works. The sample consisted of nurses who were employed in one particular nursing home for mentally retarded patients. The resul ts show that perceived inequity in both types of relationships is link ed to emotional exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment. As exp ected, individual differences in communal orientation differentiate wh en nurses feel inequitably treated in their relationships with their p atients. Moreover, the results suggest that low communally oriented nu rses restore equity in their relationships with patients by withdrawin g emotionally (depersonalization). In contrast, nurses who felt inequi tably treated in the employee-employer relationship reported a higher intent to quit. No direct link between burnout symptoms and the intent ion to quit was observed.