Perceived stress, self-compassion and job burnout in nurses: the moderating role of self-compassion

Background: Job burnout is more prevalent among nurses than other medical team members and may have adverse effects on the mental and physical health of both nurses and their patients. Aims: To evaluate the associations between job burnout as a dependent variable with perceived stress and self-compassion as independent variables, and test the buffering role of self-compassion in the link between perceived stress and job burnout in nurses. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with a convenience sampling method. A total of 150 nurses from four hospitals in Tehran, Iran participated in this study and completed three questionnaires, namely the Perceived Stress Scale, the Self-Compassion Scale and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Results: Partial least square-structural equation modelling showed greater levels of perceived stress associated with greater levels of job burnout (β = 0.795, p < 0.001), and greater levels of self-compassion associated with lower levels of job burnout (β = –0.512, p < 0.001) in nurses. The results of the interaction-moderation analysis showed that self-compassion diminished the effect of perceived stress on job burnout in nurses. Conclusions: The results of this study not only showed a significant association between perceived stress and job burnout in nurses, but also increased our understanding about the buffering role of self-compassion in the link between perceived stress and job burnout in nurses.