Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate the moderating role of positive psychological capital on the effects of clinical nurses' responses to violence on burnout and to provide basic date for an intervention program that reduces nurse burnout.
Methods
The participants in this study were 172 nurses recruited through convenience sampling at one general hospital in Seoul. Data were collected from June 5 to 10, 2023 using structured questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS/WIN 26.0.
Results
Burnout was positively correlated with violence responses and negatively correlated with positive psychological capital among clinical nurses. Verbal violence experience (β=.14, p=.014), job satisfaction (β=.31, p<.001), social violence response (β=.15, p=.035) and positive psychological capital (β=-.39, p<.001) were identified as factors significantly influencing clinical nurses' burnout. The interaction term between social violence response and positive psychological capital significantly influenced burnout (β=.18, p=.044).
Conclusion
Social violence response affected burnout among clinical nurses, and positive psychological capital was identified as a moderating factor in burnout. Therefore, hospital and nursing organizational efforts such as fostering an appropriate organizational atmosphere, providing social support that encourages trust and creativity among organizational members, and implementing various educational and mentoring programs are required to reduce nurses' social violence response and enhance positive psychological capital.