Job demands-resources predicting burnout and work engagement among Belgian home health care nurses: A cross-sectional study

Background: A better knowledge of the job aspects that may predict home health care nurses' burnout and work engagement is important in view of stress prevention and health promotion. The Job Demands Resources model predicts that job demands and resources relate to burnout and work engagement but has not previously been tested in the specific context of home health care nursing. Purpose: The present study offers a comprehensive test of the Job-Demands Resources model in home health care nursing. We investigate the main and interaction effects of distinctive job demands (workload, emotional demands and aggression) and resources (autonomy, social support and learning opportunities) on burnout and work engagement. Methods: Analyses were conducted using cross-sectional data from 675 Belgian home health care nurses, who participated in a voluntary and anonymous survey. Results: The results show that workload and emotional demands were positively associated with burnout, whereas aggression was unrelated to burnout. All job resources were associated with higher levels of work engagement and lower levels of burnout. In addition, social support buffered the positive relationship between workload and burnout. Conclusions: Home health care organizations should invest in dealing with workload and emotional demands and stimulating the job resources under study to reduce the risk of burnout and increase their nurses' work engagement.