JOB STRAIN, PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, AND BURNOUT IN NURSES

The first phase of this longitudinal study consisted of a questionnair e completed by a cohort of 1,891 nurses (aged 23-65 years) from six ac ute care hospitals from the province of Quebec. This study was set up to investigate the association between the psychosocial environment of work and mental health. After adjusting for counfounding factors, a c ombination of high psychological demands and low decision latitude was associated with psychological distress and emotional exhaustion, one of the three dimensions of burnout. Social support at work, although a ssociated with each of the mental health indicators, did not modify th eir association with job strain. The present study identified conditio ns of the work environment that are modifiable and provide the basis f or interventions that focus beyond the modification of individual copi ng strategies. (C) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.