Background. Emergency department (ED) nurses are prone to develop burnout, however, they also tend to be engaged in their work. The goals of this study were twofold: (1) to establish the frequency...Show moreBackground. Emergency department (ED) nurses are prone to develop burnout, however, they also tend to be engaged in their work. The goals of this study were twofold: (1) to establish the frequency of ED nurses in four burnout - work engagement profiles, and (2) to investigate which work characteristics best separated the four burnout – work engagement profiles. Method. A cross-sectional study was done among 967 ED nurses working in one of 28 hospitals in the Netherlands (response rate 74%). The data was gathered using an online questionnaire. A frequency analysis and a descriptive discriminant analysis were performed. Two separate analyses were done for emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Results. For emotional exhaustion, the engaged profile was most prevalent among the ED nurses in this sample, followed by the burnout, unengaged and engaged-burnout profiles. For depersonalization, the engaged profile was also most prevalent, followed by the burnout, engaged-burnout and unengaged profiles. Two functions were generated by the descriptive discriminant analysis: (1) the Job Demands-Resources (JDR) function and (2) the mastery function. The JDR function separated the burnout from the engaged profile. When nurses scored high on job demands and low on job resources, they were more likely to be in the burnout profile, and vice versa for the engaged profile. Work-time demands and autonomy were primarily responsible for group separation for burnout overall. For emotional exhaustion staffing was also primarily important, whereas for depersonalization, educational and developmental possibilities and (financial) appreciation were also primarily important for group separation. The mastery function separated the engaged-burnout from the unengaged profile. When nurses had educational and developmental possibilities, and experienced a higher frequency of emotionally demanding and conflict/aggression situations, they were more likely to be in the engaged-burnout profile, and vice versa for the unengaged profile. Conclusion. This study provided insight in the interplay between burnout, work engagement, job demands and job resources. This study shows the importance to improve the ED working environment as many nurses are burned out, and showed that ED nurses can be burned out and engaged simultaneously. The findings support the Job Demands-Resources Model, and show that enhancing job demands and job resources is important to facilitate engaged ED nurses.Show less
Introduction: Traumatic experiences may lead to pathological dissociation. Three components of dissociation can be distinguished: absorption, depersonalization, and amnesia. Especially maltreated...Show moreIntroduction: Traumatic experiences may lead to pathological dissociation. Three components of dissociation can be distinguished: absorption, depersonalization, and amnesia. Especially maltreated children are at risk for developing dissociative symptoms. Several studies support a relationship between childhood maltreatment (CM) and dissociation, but previous research often does not differentiate between different types of CM in relation to the different types of dissociation. Hence, this study explored whether different types of CM could predict different types of dissociation. Method: using an online survey, self-reported experiences of CM and dissociation were cross-sectionally assessed among a sample from the general population (N = 549). Multiple regressions were performed in order to investigate whether the different types of CM were predictors for the different types of dissociation. Results: the regression for CM and dissociation, with gender as a covariate, was significant. Emotional abuse and emotional neglect significantly predicted any type of dissociation, and specifically depersonalization; emotional abuse and sexual abuse significantly predicted absorption, with gender as a covariate; physical neglect and sexual abuse significantly predicted amnesia. Discussion: the findings fit previous research concerning the relationship between CM and dissociation, although more research is needed to investigate the specific role of emotional maltreatment in regard to other types of CM and how it is related to dissociation.Show less