title: Professional commitment: Does it buffer or intensify job demands?
abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate whether professional commitment can be seen as a moderator in the relationship between job demands and emotional exhaustion among Norwegian nurses. Inspired by the job demands-resources model, this study explores whether having a strong commitment to the nursing profession can be seen as a resource that buffers the effect of job demands on emotional exhaustion or, conversely, intensifies the impact of job demands. A survey that comprised Norwegian nurses who had graduated three years previously (N = 388) was conducted. Multiple regression was performed to test the hypothesis. The results provide support to a buffering effect; thus, individuals with a higher degree of professional commitment conveyed a weaker association between job demands and emotional exhaustion compared with nurses with a lower degree of commitment. Developing a better understanding of the potential buffering effect of professional commitment is of great interest. The present study is the first to utilize professional commitment as a resource within the job demands-resources framework.
authors.affiliation: Centre for the Study of Professions, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Kjersti
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nesje
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009664:Norway; D010558:Personnel Loyalty; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Care; career commitment; emotional exhaustion; job demands-resource model; nurses; professional commitment; quantitative job demands