Influencing Factors of Professional Identity, Health Behavior and their Correlation with Job Burnout in Nursing Staffs in Pension Institution

Abstract

Objectives: In this study, we investigated factors impacting nurses' professional identity in elderly care institutions and their connection to occupational burnout. Methods: Using convenience sampling, 394 nurses from local elderly care facilities were surveyed from May 2022 to May 2023. The Elderly Nurses' Professional Identity Scale, Occupational Burnout Scale, and Health Behavior Scale were employed. Single-factor and multiple-factor logistic regression analyses identified risk factors influencing professional identity. Results: Results revealed a negative correlation (r = -0.392, p < .05) between professional identity and occupational burnout. We found statistically significant differences with respect to age, education, income, working hours, number of elderly cared for, family support, and professional qualification (p < .05). Multiple-factor regression showed that age ≥ 40 years, income ≤ 3000 yuan, working >10 hours, caring for >10 elderly individuals, and lack of family support were independent risk factors (OR = 0.608, 2.494, 0.555, 0.630, 2.638, p < 0.05) influencing professional identity. Additionally, nurses' health behavior was linked to occupational burnout.Conclusion: Nurses in elderly care institutions face low professional identity, which negatively correlates with occupational burnout. Factors such as advanced age, low income, high workload, and insufficient family support contribute to this. Moreover, nurses' health behavior significantly affects their burnout levels.