Leadership styles were associated with nurses' burnout and work engagement
A review found consistent associations between leadership and nurses' work experiences, but it did not establish the effects of leadership training.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
In the studies reviewed, transformational, authentic and servant leadership were linked with less burnout and greater work engagement among nurses. Abusive leadership was linked with more burnout. Because the evidence was observational, these patterns do not establish that changing leadership style would improve nurses' well-being or that leadership training produces those benefits.
The abstract provides no pooled effect sizes or participant totals. Its observational evidence cannot separate the influence of leadership from other workplace factors, and it does not report results from leadership-training trials.
The framework behind the question
The framework treats job demands as potential contributors to burnout and leadership as a workplace resource that may support engagement. It guided the review's question, but a theoretical model does not itself establish cause and effect.
Separate workplace outcomes
Most studies measured burnout with the Maslach Burnout Inventory and engagement with the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. These are separate outcomes, so lower burnout should not be treated as interchangeable with higher engagement.
The original publication
Is Leadership a Resource? A Systematic Review of Its Role in Burnout and Engagement Among Nurses Within the JD-R Model.
Montenegro Méndez S, Laguía González A, Moriano León JA
J Nurs Manag · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41355851
- Record checked
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