Emotional Exhaustion and State Anger in Nurses Who Worked During the Sars Outbreak: The Role of Perceived Threat and Organizational Support

The present study tests a psychosocial model of factors predicting emotional exhaustion and state anger in 333 nurses who worked during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak. Predictors included working conditions, feedback, risk of contracting SARS, and perceived organizational support. Results of path analysis revealed that working conditions contributed significantly to an increase in perceived SARS threat, which led to increased emotional exhaustion and state anger. Positive feedback was directly and positively related to organizational support. Higher levels of organizational support predicted lower perceived SARS threat, emotional exhaustion, and state anger. Implications for health-care providers are discussed.