Abstract
Background: Emergency department (ED) nurses work in high-stakes environments that increase exposure to stress, trauma, and burnout. Identifying protective factors that strengthen well-being is essential to building and sustaining healthy work environments.
Purpose: This study examined how years of experience, social support, and resilience influence burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction among ED nurses across the United States.
Methods: A cross-sectional design was used. Participants completed a demographic form, the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL), the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and the Lubben Social Network Scale. Data were analyzed using multiple and hierarchical regression to identify predictive relationships and measurable effects on professional quality of life.
Results: Resilience and social support significantly predicted lower burnout and higher compassion satisfaction (p < .05). Years of experience were positively correlated with resilience and inversely related to burnout. The model for secondary traumatic stress was not significant, suggesting additional organizational or situational factors may mediate this outcome.
Implications for Practice: Strengthening resilience and social connection offers a practical, scalable approach to enhancing professional well-being. Nurse leaders and interprofessional teams can apply these findings through mentorship, peer-support rounds, debriefing after critical events, and wellness education in orientation and continuing development.
Translation and Innovation: An evidence-informed Resilience–Support–Satisfaction Framework is proposed to guide collaborative initiatives that promote healthy work environments. Future projects will evaluate this model through interventions that enhance resilience and compassion satisfaction.
Conclusion: Resilience and social support are measurable determinants of well-being among ED nurses. Interdisciplinary investment in these domains can translate evidence into sustainable strategies that protect nurses and strengthen workplace culture.
Notes
References:
Bae, S.R., Hong, H.J., Chang, J.J., & Shin, S.H. (2021). The association between Korean clinical nurses’ workplace bullying, positive psychological capital, and social support on burnout. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(21), 11583-. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111583
Galanis, P., Katsiroumpa, A., Vraka, I., Siskou, O., Konstantakopoulou, O., Katsoulas, T., Gallos, P., & Kaitelidou, D. (2023). Social support improves nurses’ resilience: A cross-sectional study in Greece. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 16(2), 585–593.
Jose, S., Dhandapani, M., & Cyriac, M. C. (2020). Burnout and resilience among frontline nurses during COVID 19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study in the emergency department of a tertiary care center, North India. Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine, 24(11), 1081–1088. https://doi-org.ezp.slu.edu/10.5005/jp-journals-10071-23667
Kilinc, T., & Sis Celik, A. (2021). Relationship between the social support and psychological resilience levels perceived by nurses during the COVID 19 pandemic: A study from Turkey. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 57(3), 1000–1008. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppc.12648
Woo, M., & Kim, D. (2021). Factors associated with secondary traumatic stress among nurses in regional trauma centers in South Korea: A descriptive correlational study. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 47, 400–411. https://doi-org.ezp.slu.edu/10.1016/j.jen.2020.08.006
Zhang, Y., Guan, C., Jiang, J., Zhu, C., & Hu, X. (2023). Mediating effect of resilience on the relationship between perceived social support and burnout among Chinese palliative nurses. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 32(13–14), 3887–3897. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.16532
Sigma Membership
Upsilon Omega
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Cross-Sectional
Research Approach
Quantitative Research
Keywords:
Emergency Nurses, Social Support, Psychological Stress, Hardiness, Resilience, Compassion Fatigue, Stress/Coping, Coping, Interprofessional Relations, Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary, Workforce
Recommended Citation
Burns, Timothy R., "Resilience, Social Support, and Burnout: Building Healthy Work Environments for Emergency Nurses" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 40.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2026/presentations_2026/40
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-04-28
Resilience, Social Support, and Burnout: Building Healthy Work Environments for Emergency Nurses
Washington, DC, USA
Background: Emergency department (ED) nurses work in high-stakes environments that increase exposure to stress, trauma, and burnout. Identifying protective factors that strengthen well-being is essential to building and sustaining healthy work environments.
Purpose: This study examined how years of experience, social support, and resilience influence burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction among ED nurses across the United States.
Methods: A cross-sectional design was used. Participants completed a demographic form, the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL), the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and the Lubben Social Network Scale. Data were analyzed using multiple and hierarchical regression to identify predictive relationships and measurable effects on professional quality of life.
Results: Resilience and social support significantly predicted lower burnout and higher compassion satisfaction (p < .05). Years of experience were positively correlated with resilience and inversely related to burnout. The model for secondary traumatic stress was not significant, suggesting additional organizational or situational factors may mediate this outcome.
Implications for Practice: Strengthening resilience and social connection offers a practical, scalable approach to enhancing professional well-being. Nurse leaders and interprofessional teams can apply these findings through mentorship, peer-support rounds, debriefing after critical events, and wellness education in orientation and continuing development.
Translation and Innovation: An evidence-informed Resilience–Support–Satisfaction Framework is proposed to guide collaborative initiatives that promote healthy work environments. Future projects will evaluate this model through interventions that enhance resilience and compassion satisfaction.
Conclusion: Resilience and social support are measurable determinants of well-being among ED nurses. Interdisciplinary investment in these domains can translate evidence into sustainable strategies that protect nurses and strengthen workplace culture.
Description
This presentation shares national findings on resilience, social support, and burnout among emergency nurses and translates the evidence into actionable, interprofessional strategies that strengthen well-being and foster sustainable healthy work environments. It introduces the evidence-informed Resilience–Support–Satisfaction Framework to guide workforce wellness and leadership practice.