Communication with patients and professional burnout in pediatric nurses

Despite widespread recognition that the period of childhood is critical for developing self-concept and acquisition of feelings and behaviors that persist into adulthood, little is known about pediatric nurse communication behaviors that have the potential for influencing self-esteem and emotional well-being. The present exploratory study described the frequency of pediatric nurses' interpersonal communication behaviors referred to as confirmation, disconfirmation, and affection, and the relation of these behaviors to selected professional characteristics of the nurse and personal characteristics of the nurse and patient.

Descriptive data on 18 nurses in 3 metropolitan hospitals were obtained by observation of nurse behaviors and self-report. Demographic data on 50 pediatric patients were obtained by parental report. Correlation measures were used to test the relationship of the communication behaviors to professional burnout (Staff Burnout Scale for Health Professionals), and to nurse and child characteristics. No professional or personal characteristics of nurses were found to correlate with the nurse communication behaviors. Child characteristics of age, frequency of hospital admissions, and type of illness correlated with nurse behaviors. Correlates with young age were affectionate words (r = .33, p<.01), passive affectionate contact (r = .33, p<,01), and total affectionate behaviors (r = .26, p<.05). Frequent hospital admissions correlated with nurse disconfirming responses (r = .32, p<.05), and admission for surgical procedures correlated with confirmation by the nurse (r = .29,p<.05). Results suggest that pediatric nurses tend to communicate in ways that promote self-esteem and emotional well-being, but that patient characteristics may influence the frequency and type of communication behaviors.