Recovery Experience: A Concept for Maintaining Quality of Life and Its Mediating Effect Among Female Nurses in China

PURPOSE: Nurses are high-risk groups for job burnout, which affect their quality of life (QOL). Recovery experience, a conceptualization of positive psychological resources, can combat the negative impacts of job burnout on health and QOL. The aim of this study was to examine the mediating effect of recovery experience on the relationship between job burnout and QOL among female nurses in China. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: QOL information was captured from 1068 female nurses from December 2017 to February 2018 in tertiary hospitals in Shenyang, Liaoning Province of China. A structural equation model was employed to examine the mediating effect of recovery experience on the relationship between job burnout and QOL. RESULTS: Job burnout had a significant impact on both the mental component summary and the physical component summary of a 36-item Short-Form Health Survey. However, mental component summary scores were significantly lower than physical component summary scores in female nurses. Recovery experience played a mediating role in the relationship between job burnout and QOL. CONCLUSION: Job burnout could result in a reduction in QOL among Chinese female nurses. Recovery experience, as a mediating factor, could alleviate the impact of job burnout on QOL. Recovery experience should be strengthened to attenuate job burnout and enhance QOL.