Burnout and perceived stress as predictors of quality of life in nurses

Introduction: Burnout and perceived stress are prominent psychological problems manifested by nursing staff and substantially affect the quality of life and performance in daily activities of licensed nurses and nursing technicians. Objective: To analyze the influence of burnout and perceived stress on the quality of life of nursing personnel. Materials and Methods: Predictive, comparative, cross-sectional, quantitative study. A total of 450 participants (42.89% registered nurses and 57.11% nursing technicians) from a public military hospital completed psychological instruments and were recruited through non-probability convenience sampling. Structural equation modeling and Bayesian analysis were performed. Results: The model demonstrated adequate fit, and negative stress (β =-0.59, p = 0.00) was identified as a statistically significant negative predictor of mental health. In addition, registered nurses reported higher levels of negative stress, depersonalization, and emotional exhaustion compared to nursing technicians. Discussion: Negative stress is a determinant of mental health in nurses, a finding consistent with empirical evidence in highly demanding work environments such as hospitals. The greater symptoms observed in registered nurses can be explained by their greater responsibility for patient care and the institution. Conclusion: Negative stress is a significant predictor of mental health in nursing personnel, and registered nurses reported higher levels of negative stress, depersonalization, and emotional exhaustion. Effective prevention strategies are needed to manage stress and burnout in clinical contexts.