Abstract
Objective: The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between psychological distress and burnout and to explore whether self-compassion would moderate the relationship between psychological distress and burnout among nurses.
Study design: A cross-sectional research design was employed.
Place and duration of study: The current study was conducted from November 2024 to April 2025 at different hospitals of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Material and Methods: The cross-sectional research was conducted to examine the relationship between study variables among nurses. The sample consisted of 300 participants, including both male (N=48) and female (N=252), taken from different public and private hospitals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, through convenience sampling. The age range of the participants were 25 to 45 years. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21, Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, and Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form were used to collect data. SPSS, Version 25 was applied to analyze and interpret the data in statistical terminology.
Results: The results indicated that regression model is significant and predicted total 26% variance in the outcome (R²= 0.26, F=107.2, p<0.05). Furthermore, psychological distress was a significant positive predictor of burnout (β= 0.51, p=0.000). It was also found that self-compassion (B= -0.29, p=0.001) acted as a significant moderator in the relationship between psychological distress and burnout of nurses.
Conclusion: Psychological distress and burnout are prevalent among nurses because of their highly stressful profession. The finding has implications for healthcare interventions, may contribute to the growing body of research literature in the field and also suggests avenues for future research.
Keywords: Burnout; Nurses; Psychological Distress; Self-Compassion
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