2009 Volume 13 Issue 2 Pages 50-57
The purpose of this study was to examine the possibility of reducing the burnout of nurse managers by assertiveness training.
The nurse managers in university hospitals were asked to fill in a questionnaire just before and three months after the assertiveness training. The questionnaire included questions about demographic attributes, workplace satisfaction, transfer preference, stress coping, thoughts on their work, assertiveness (Japanese version of the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule:J-RAS), and burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory:MBI).
A total of 77 respondents (15 head nurses, 62 sub-head nurses) provided valid data for analysis. The pre-intervention averages of age, J-RAS, and MBI were 40.9, -5.0, and 10.8, respectively. For total data, t-tests detected a tendency of increase for J-RAS and a significant decrease for MBI. The stratified examinations showed that J-RAS increased significantly, or tended to increase, and MBI reduced significantly among those who had low pre-intervention J-RAS and those who intended to keep assertiveness after the training. The same tendencies, partly with statistical significance, were observed among those who were unsatisfied with their workplace or own care and those who could not consult with fellow workers, the boss, or any other persons in their workplace.
The results showed that the assertiveness training could reduce burnout of nurse managers. The reduction was apparent among persons who intended to keep assertiveness after the training, and those with low pre-intervention J-RAS. The reduction of burnout was also observed among those who lacked social support.
