Burnout Common Among Psychiatric Mental Health Registered Nurses

FRIDAY, Aug. 14, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Nearly 4 in 10 inpatient psychiatric mental health registered nurses (PMH-RNs) experience high burnout, according to a study published online July 27 in the Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing.

Justinna Dixon, Ph.D., R.N., from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in Philadelphia, and colleagues used data from the 2023/2024 Penn Nurses4All and the 2023 American Hospital Association survey to examine associations between organizational factors and nurse job outcomes among inpatient PMH-RNs.

The researchers found that 38 percent of psychiatric nurses reported high burnout, 29.5 percent experienced job dissatisfaction, and 22 percent planned to leave their employer within a year. For each 1-point increase in the quality of the work environment, nurses experienced a 70 percent decrease in the odds of burnout, a 59 percent decrease in job dissatisfaction, and a 53 percent decrease in intention to leave. Among organizational factors, staffing adequacy received the lowest ratings and was the primary driver associated with improvements across all job outcomes.

“High levels of burnout and turnover among PMH-RNs are not inevitable,” Dixon said in a statement. “Improving work environments — specifically through ensuring adequate staffing levels and empowering PMH-RNs through strong leadership support — represents an actionable strategy for health care systems to retain this workforce central to caring for patients experiencing acute mental health crises.”

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