Job Demands, Emotional Exhaustion, and Job Performance Among Nurses: The Moderating Role of Transformational Leadership From Healthcare Top Management

Bilodeau, G., Boily, L.-A., Gagnon, J.-F., Trépanier, S.-G., Austin, S. et Fernet, C. (2026). Job Demands, Emotional Exhaustion, and Job Performance Among Nurses: The Moderating Role of Transformational Leadership From Healthcare Top Management. Journal of Nursing Management, 2026 (1). Article 8888713. ISSN 0966-0429 1365-2834 DOI 10.1155/jonm/8888713

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Résumé

Abstract

Background
Emotional exhaustion is a core component of burnout and a major concern in nursing, where high job demands are associated with lower job performance. The job demands–resources (JD-R) model provides a framework to understand how work conditions affect nurses’ functioning, yet the role of leadership enacted by healthcare top management as a distal contextual resource remains underexplored.

Objective
To examine the mediating role of emotional exhaustion in the relationship between job demands and in-role job performance among nurses, and whether nurses’ perceptions of transformational leadership enacted by healthcare top management moderate this indirect effect.

Methods
A cross-sectional survey was conducted among nurses in the province of Quebec, Canada (N = 513). Structural equation modeling was used to test a moderated mediation model.

Results
Job demands were positively associated with emotional exhaustion, which in turn relates negatively to job performance. Emotional exhaustion partially mediated the relationship between job demands and performance. Notably, the indirect effect was weaker among nurses who perceived high levels of transformational leadership from top management, suggesting that this structurally embedded contextual resource attenuates this relationship.

Conclusion
The findings support the health-impairment process of the JD-R model and underscore the buffering role of transformational leadership in mitigating the adverse association between job demands and nurses’ performance through emotional exhaustion.

Implications for Nursing Management
Healthcare organizations should prioritize leadership development at the top management level, as such leadership may contribute to a broader organizational climate, as perceived by nurses. These efforts may help reduce emotional exhaustion and sustain nurses’ in-role performance in demanding care environments.

Type de document:	Article
Mots-clés libres:	Emotional exhaustion Job demands–resources model Job performance Moderated mediation Nursing management Transformational leadership
Date de dépôt:	04 nov. 2026 20:47
Dernière modification:	04 nov. 2026 20:47
Version du document déposé:	Version officielle de l'éditeur
URI:	https://depot-e.uqtr.ca/id/eprint/13308

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