Occupational Stress, Burnout, and Social Support Among Nurses in Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Units in Germany

Abstract

Working in healthcare settings is stressful and associated with burnout, which negatively impacts employees and the quality and delivery of care. Germany’s nursing sector is facing ongoing shortages worsened by job dissatisfaction, sickness absences, and turnover, which are linked to stress and burnout. As work demands and patterns of responses are contingent on occupational context, setting–specific investigations are necessary. However, there is a lack of research investigating stressors and burnout in specific healthcare settings in Germany, especially for inpatient psychiatric nurses whose work comes with unique challenges due to the acutely ill patient population and wider contextual influences.