The mediating effect of job burnout on the relationship between practice environment and workplace deviance behavior of nurses in China: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Faced with a shortage of nurses in China, the factors affecting the stability of the nursing workforce require urgent attention. The workplace deviance behavior of nurses is considered an important behavior in clinical practice, which will bring negative effects and affect the development of nurse team. However, no research has been done to examine the associations among workplace deviance behavior of nurses, practice environment and job burnout. Thus, this study aimed to determine the influence of practice environment on nurses' workplace deviance behavior and confirm the mediating role of job burnout.

Methods: This study was designed as a multicentre cross-sectional study, and recruited 598 nurses in China to complete a survey of the general information questionnaire, Scale of Workplace Deviance Behavior of Nurses, Practice Environment Scale, and Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey. The model was examined using descriptive analysis, Pearson's correlation analysis, and the PROCESS Macro in SPSS 26.0.

Results: The results of the correlation analysis demonstrated a significant relationship between the practice environment and work deviance behavior of nurses, as well as a negative relationship between job burnout and these two factors. Moreover, the relationship between practice environment and work deviance behavior among nurses was partially mediated by job burnout.

Conclusion: A healthy practice environment and a decrease in job burnout could directly lower the work deviant behavior of nurses. Hospital managers must actively endeavor to improve the practice environment for nurses by fostering a just, fair, and supportive practice environment and by keeping lines of communication open and strong with the nursing staff. Furthermore, managers can also reduce nurses' work deviance behavior by lower their job burnout.