{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T06:07:35Z","timestamp":1788934055286,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788912000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Aims<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Healing workplaces require evidence on how personal resources are experienced under demanding clinical conditions and what forms of support nurses perceive as useful. This study examined burnout, psychological capital, and empathy among pediatric nurses in a Chinese tertiary hospital and used qualitative findings from nurses with extreme burnout profiles to clarify burnout-related support and training needs.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used. In the quantitative phase, 218 pediatric nurses completed an online survey including the Maslach Burnout Inventory\u2013Human Services Survey, the Chinese Revised Nurses\u2019 Psychological Capital Scale, and the Jefferson Scale of Empathy\u2013Health Professionals. In the qualitative phase, 11 nurses with extreme burnout profiles participated in one 120-min focus group. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, unadjusted Pearson correlations, and 95% confidence intervals. Qualitative data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis and integrated with quantitative findings through a joint display.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Reduced personal accomplishment was the most prevalent burnout dimension (54.6%), whereas emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were low in most participants (75.0% and 84.0%, respectively). Psychological capital was low in 76.0% of nurses and was not significantly correlated with any burnout dimension. Empathy was high in 62.0% of participants and was positively correlated with personal accomplishment (\n                      <jats:italic>r<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.405) and negatively correlated with emotional exhaustion (\n                      <jats:italic>r<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f\u22120.184) and depersonalization (\n                      <jats:italic>r<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f\u22120.313). Qualitative findings identified perceived support needs related to burnout recognition, psychological guidance, career development, professional enhancement, case-based learning, confidentiality, and follow-up evaluation.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Pediatric nurses showed a burnout profile dominated by diminished personal accomplishment. The non-significant psychological capital\u2013burnout associations suggest that personal resources alone may not fully explain burnout patterns in this single-center context. Burnout support in high-acuity pediatric settings may need to combine psychological support with career-development pathways, team learning, and reflective practice.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1912710","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T05:57:13Z","timestamp":1788933433000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["When personal resources may not be enough: burnout, psychological capital, and empathy among pediatric nurses in a Chinese tertiary hospital \u2014 an explanatory sequential mixed methods study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Qiong","family":"Chen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nursing, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Department of Neonatology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"College of Nursing, Silliman University","place":["Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Philippines"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ying-Xin","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nursing, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Department of Neonatology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiujuan","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nursing, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Department of Neonatology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yanling","family":"Hu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nursing, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Department of Neonatology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hongyu","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nursing, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Department of Nursing, WCSUH-Tianfu\/Sichuan Provincial Children\u2019s Hospital","place":["Meishan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yuan","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nursing, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Department of Neonatology, West China Second University 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