Examining the Temporal Relationship Between Burnout and Compassion Satisfaction Among Nigerian Nurses Using a Cross-Lagged Panel Design

Burnout and compassion satisfaction are typically studied as concurrent constructs in Nigerian nursing research, yet their bidirectional temporal relationship over time has not been examined using longitudinal designs capable of establishing causal precedence. This study uses a cross-lagged panel design to examine the temporal relationship between burnout and compassion satisfaction among nurses in Imo State Teaching Hospital, South East Nigeria. A two-wave longitudinal survey with a six-month interval is applied to 200 nurses from the nursing and midwifery division. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey and the Professional Quality of Life Scale-5 are administered at both time points. Cross-lagged structural equation modelling in AMOS tests bidirectional lagged relationships between burnout dimensions and compassion satisfaction. Available nursing psychology literature from South East Nigeria identifies emotional exhaustion at Time 1 as significantly predicting reduced compassion satisfaction at Time 2, while compassion satisfaction buffers subsequent burnout development. The Job Demands-Resources Model and the Conservation of Resources Theory provide the theoretical framework. This study fills a significant methodological gap by applying longitudinal design to burnout research in Nigerian nursing, beyond the predominantly cross-sectional evidence base. Findings will guide the hospital's nursing management on temporal sequencing of support interventions to interrupt the burnout-compassion satisfaction deterioration cycle. Keywords: burnout, compassion satisfaction, nurses, longitudinal, Imo State.