Effects of stress on burnout among infection control nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: the mediating effects of social support and self-efficacy

Abstract

Background: This study investigated the mediating effects of self-efficacy and social support on the relationship between stress and burnout among infection control nurses (ICNs) during an emerging infectious disease pandemic. Methods: The study participants encompassed 210 ICNs with at least six months’ experience in an infection control unit at a general hospital in South Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were analyzed using independent t-tests or one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), while descriptive statistics were performed using SPSS/WIN 26.0 software. Hayes’s PROCESS macro 4.2 software was used to verify the significance of the indirect effects of the mediators. Results: Stress had a significant positive effect on burnout (β = 0.80, p