SOCIAL SUPPORT, PERSONALITY, AND BURNOUT IN NURSES

This study sought to find evidence for: (a) a relationship between inc reased levels of work-related social support and decreased burnout, (b ) a relationship between personality traits and burnout, and (c) a sig nificant interaction of social support and extraversion in relation to burnout. Seventy-six staff nurses and their supervisors at a private medical hospital participated as subjects. Two subscales of the Work E nvironment Scale measured social support. Personality was measured usi ng an instrument known as PROSCAN, and Scale H of the 16PF. Burnout wa s measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory. A strong negative correla tion between work-related social support and burnout was found. Also, nurses whose supervisors received positive-feedback training showed si gnificant reductions in emotional exhaustion, compared to those whose supervisors did not receive this training. Some dimensions of personal ity explained a significant amount of burnout. The study also provided further evidence of the interactive effect of social support and extr aversion in relation to an emotional distress variable. That is, extra verted nurses required more work-related peer support than did introve rts to avoid emotional exhaustion. Suggestions for further research ar e given.