Individualized Profiles of Burnout and Sensory Processing Sensitivity in Nurses and Their Associations with Mindfulness and Psychological Wellbeing

Background: Nurse burnout is a widespread problem associated with adverse outcomes for both patients and healthcare organizations. Although person-centered approaches have shown that burnout risk is heterogeneous, most prior profiling studies have focused on burnout symptoms and work characteristics, with limited attention to individual susceptibility. Sensory processing sensitivity may help explain why similar work demands are experienced differently across nurses. Method: This cross-sectional study included 405 registered nurses working across all units of a tertiary hospital. Participants completed validated self-report measures of burnout, sensory processing sensitivity, mindfulness, and psychological well-being. Latent class analysis was applied to identify profiles based on burnout and sensory sensitivity indicators. Model selection was guided by information criteria and interpretability. Between-class differences in mindfulness and psychological well-being were examined using analysis of covariance adjusted for age and gender, and associations with work-unit context were evaluated using multinomial logistic regression. Results: Three latent profiles were identified, representing low, moderate, and high strain. Higher-strain profiles were characterized by greater sensory processing sensitivity and higher burnout levels, alongside lower mindfulness and psychological well-being. Nurses working in inpatient, procedural, critical care, and emergency units were more likely to belong to higher-strain profiles. Mindfulness and psychological well-being were inversely associated with membership in higher-strain profiles, independent of demographic factors. Conclusion: Joint modeling of burnout and sensory processing sensitivity revealed distinct and interpretable nurse profiles that reflect differential vulnerability to occupational strain. These findings underscore the importance of considering both individual sensitivity and work-unit context when designing targeted strategies to prevent burnout and promote sustainable nurse well-being.