Purpose: This study was attempted to check the mediating effects of resilience in the relationship between role conflict and burnout in physician assistant nurses and provide the basic data for establishing management plans on role conflict and burnout by improving the resilience of physician assistant nurses.
Method: The subjects of this study were 144 nurses who agreed to participate in this study among physician assistant nurses working in university hospitals located in City J and university hospitals located in City C and the data were collected through survey.
As research instrument, this study used the amended and supplemented tool by Lee Hye jin (2006) targeting physician assistant nurses in neurosurgery of the measurement tool developed by Kim Moon sil and Park Sang yeon (1995) to measure the role conflict of nurses. As burnout measurement tool, the translated and used tool by Ham Mi jeong (2011) of the CBI tool developed by Kristen, Borritz, Villadsen and Christensen(2005) was used. As resilience measurement tool, the Korea resilience measurement tool (K-CD-RISC: Korea Connor Davidson Resilience Scale) developed by Connor and Davidson(2003) and translated by Paek Hyeon sook (2010) was used.
For data analysis, SPSS/WIN 21.0 program was used. The data were identified with frequency and percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test and ANOVA, Scheffe post-hoc testing, Pearson''s Correlation Coefficient, and Baron & Kenny’s 3-stage procedures. To test the statistical significance of indirect effect through intervening variables, bootstrapping was conducted.
The result of the research are as follows.
1) The role conflict score of physician assistant nurses was 3.41±.55 point on average (ranged from 1-5), burnout was 3.32±.60 point on average (ranged from 1-5), and resilience was 3.24±.46 point on average (ranged from 1-5).
2) The role conflict depending on general characteristics of physician assistant nurses showed a significant difference depending on gender (t=-2.67, p=.009), burnout showed a significant difference depending on gender (t=-4.52, p<.001), and resilience showed a significant difference depending on age (F=4.58, p=.004), gender (t=2.25, p=.013), marital status (t=-2.05, p=.042), clinical career (F=3.42, p=.019), and work experience as nurse practitioner (F=3.14, p=.028).
3) The role conflict depending on working characteristics of physician assistant nurses showed a significant difference depending on work hour (F=11.61, p<.001), ability to go on vacation when she wants to (t=-2.66, p=.009), motive in choosing a nurse practitioner (F=5.64, p<.001), and job-related external training program (t=-3.59, p<.001), burnout showed a significant difference depending on work hour (F=12.47, p<.001), watch-keeping (t=-2.45, p=.016), medical treatment department (F=2.78, p=.043), training of primary nursing role (t=-2.11, p=.037), and job-related external training program (t=-3.86, p<.001), and resilience showed a significant difference depending on work hour (F=3.98, p=.021), frequency of watch-keeping (t=-2.20, p=.032), and job-related external training program (t=3.89, p<.001).
4) Burnout had a positive correlation with role conflict (r=-.451, p<.001) and had a negative correlation with resilience (r=-.479, p<.001). There was a negative correlation (r=-.302, p<.001) between role conflict and resilience.
5) To test the mediating effects of resilience in the relationship between role conflict and burnout, multiple regression analysis using Baron & Kenny’s 3-stage procedures was conducted, and to test the statistical significance of indirect effect through intervening variables, bootstrapping was conducted.
In Stage 1, role conflict appeared to have a significant impact on burnout (β=.45, p<.001) and the power of explanation by role conflict was 19.8% (F=36.23, p<.001). In Stage 2, role conflict appeared to have a significant impact on resilience (β =-.30, p<.001) and the power of explanation was 8.5% (F=14.30, p<001). In Stage 3, role conflict appeared to have a significant positive impact on burnout of life (β=.34, p<.001) and resilience appeared to have a negative impact on burnout (β=-.38, p<.001). The power of explanation by role conflict and resilience was 32.3% (F=35.11, p<.001).
As a result of identifying if resilience has a mediating effect in the relationship between role conflict and burnout, the impact of role conflict on burnout in Stage 3 appeared to have been reduced than the impact in Stage 1. Therefore, it can be said that resilience partially mediates role conflict and burnout. As a result of testing the significance of mediating effect using bootstrapping, the mediating effect was significant by resilience (.114, p=.008).
Conclusion: In this study, role conflict and burnout of physician assistant nurses, subjects of this study were the factors that had an impact on each other and resilience had a partial mediating effect in the relationship between role conflict and burnout. This study can be used as basic data for establishing management plans on role conflict and burnout by improving the resilience of physician assistant nurses.