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. 2025 Apr 1;24(1):354.
doi: 10.1186/s12912-025-03006-y.

Relationship between head nurse leadership and nurses' burnout: parallel mediation of job demands and job resources among clinical nurses

He Jiaqing  1 , Tian Yusheng  2   3   4 , Zhai Mimi  5 , Yang Jiaxin  2   3   4 , Elihuruma Eliufoo  2 , Yang Min  6 , Li Yamin  7
Affiliations

Relationship between head nurse leadership and nurses' burnout: parallel mediation of job demands and job resources among clinical nurses

He Jiaqing et al. BMC Nurs. .

Abstract

Background: Many elements in the workplace contribute to nurses' burnout experiences, affecting patient safety and the healthcare organizations' efficiency. Leaders' presence and conduct are the most potent "master" factors in every work setting. Although previous studies have shown that head nurse leadership, job demands, job resources, and job burnout are significantly related, the interaction mechanism remains unclear. This study investigates the parallel mediating roles of job demands and job resources between head nurse leadership and job burnout in nursing staff.

Methods: A cross-sectional, anonymous, and confidential online survey was conducted from March to June 2024 to collect data from 579 registered nurses in four hospitals in Hunan provinces. The independent variable was head nurse leadership, the mediating variables were job demands and resources, and the dependent variable was job burnout. Parallel mediation analysis was performed using the PROCESS macro in SPSS.

Results: This study found that head nurse leadership negatively relates to nurses' burnout. The parallel mediation analysis suggests that job resources and job demands play parallel roles in the relationship between head nurse leadership and job burnout. As predicted, head nurse leadership weakened job burnout through job resources and contributed to job burnout through job demands.

Conclusion: This study finding highlights the importance of head nurse leadership in decreasing nurses' job burnout and reveals two potential mechanisms through which head nurse leadership is related to nurses' burnout. By understanding the role of head nurse leadership, job demands, and job resources, interventions can be targeted to improve nurses' mental health.

Keywords: Burnout; Head nurse leadership; Job demands; Job resources; Nurse.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was conducted in compliance with the declaration of Helsinki ethical approval. Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Ethics Committee of The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University (LYF20230048), and applicable ethical standards and regulations followed all procedures. Informed consent was obtained from all participants before the commencement of data collection. The nurses who participated were assured of the confidentiality and anonymity of their responses. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Parallel mediation pathway model. Note: *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001
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