The effect off psychological empowerment and clinical leadership ski̇lls on the relationship between emergency nurses' mental health and burnout levels

This study was conducted using a descriptive and analytical research design to examine the effect of psychological empowerment and clinical leadership skills on the relationship between emergency department nurses' mental health status and burnout levels. The sample of the study consisted of 168 nurses working in emergency departments. Data were collected using the Nurse Information Form, General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Psychological Empowerment Scale (PES), and Clinical Leadership Scale (CLS). The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis, linear regression, and Hayes' PROCESS Model 4. The mean total scores obtained by the nurses from the data collection tools were as follows: 7.39±6.80 for GHQ-28, 63.96±11.37 for MBI, 3.75±0.65 for PES, and 2.51±0.31 for CLS. According to the results of the correlation analysis, significant relationships were found among nurses' mental health status, burnout levels, psychological empowerment, and clinical leadership skills (p<0.001). Furthermore, the overall fit of the established mediation model was found to be high (R = 0.641, R² = 0.411, F = 57.488, p <0.001), and it was determined that CLS and PES played partial mediating roles in the relationship between GHQ-28 and MBI. Specifically, CLS explained 16.2% and PES explained 23.4% of the variance in MBI scores. In conclusion, psychological empowerment and clinical leadership skills were found to have protective and supportive effects on the mental health and burnout levels of emergency department nurses. Based on these findings, it is recommended to strengthen emergency nurses psychologically and to enhance their leadership skills. Key Words: Emergency nurses, Clinical leadership, Psychological empowerment, Mental health, Burnout