The path mechanism of occupational burnout affecting the health of emergency nurses: a moderated mediation model of work–family behavior role conflict and the work environment

Objectives The purpose of this study is to discover how occupational burnout influences the health status of emergency nurses and to investigate the mediation effect of work–family behavior role conflict. Design A multi-center cross-sectional study. Setting and participants A questionnaire survey of 1,540 emergency nurses from 30 tertiary hospitals in China was conducted between December 26, 2023, and January 18, 2024. Methods Using an online questionnaire, we performed a cross-sectional survey to collect demographic data and information about occupational burnout, work environment, work–family behavior, role conflict, and emergency nurses’ health status. The PROCESS macro for SPSS 26.0 was used to analyze the moderated mediation model, and the bootstrap approach was used to investigate the mediating effects. Results The findings revealed that 57.3% of the nurses had experienced occupational burnout. A substantial positive association was identified between professional burnout, work–family behavior role conflict, and somatic symptoms ( r = 0.493, 0.534; p < 0.001). Occupational burnout was found to be a significant predictor of somatic symptoms, with work–family conflict serving as a mediator ( β = 0.616, t = 13.295, R 2 = 0.488, p < 0.01). Our research found that nurses’ work environment mediated the association between burnout and work–family behavior role conflict ( β = 0.007, t = 3.647, p < 0.01), indicating that a positive work environment may reduce the impact of burnout on family role conflict. Conclusion Work–family behavioral role conflict and the nursing work environment were found to partially mediate the association between occupational burnout and the health outcomes of emergency nurses. These findings suggest that, while interventions aimed at mitigating work–family role conflict and improving the work environment are essential, they may not be sufficient on their own to safeguard nurses’ health. Additional strategies are needed to comprehensively address the health risks associated with occupational burnout. Moreover, the interplay among burnout, work–family conflict, and environmental factors underscores the necessity of integrated and multifaceted intervention approaches to alleviate the health burden experienced by emergency nurses effectively.