Burnout and effort–reward-imbalance in a sample of 949 German teachers

Objectives High rates of teachers’ premature retirement initiated a research investigating their occupational burden. The aim of this study was to elaborate on and extend previous investigations exploring (1) teacher burnout and (2) the relationship between teachers’ efforts and their rewards. Methods A sample of 949 German teachers in 10 Gymnasien (grammar schools) and 79 Hauptschulen (secondary modern schools) was investigated applying the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-D) and the Effort Reward Imbalance Inventory (ERI). Results Compared with other studies investigating burnout in employees, we found high rates of burnout symptoms such as emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and low personal accomplishment. Male teachers showed significantly lower personal accomplishment and more depersonalization than female teachers. With respect to school types, teachers in Hauptschulen were more often affected by emotional exhaustion and showed more depersonalization. Part-time teachers felt less personal accomplishment than full-time teachers. The ERI cut off was exceeded by 21.6% of all teachers indicating that this subgroup is affected by an imbalance between too much effort and too little reward. With respect to the ERI, significant differences were found for school types, with a higher proportion of Hauptschulen teachers being above this cut off. Conclusions At present, the working situation of teachers appears to be characterized by a perceived imbalance of effort and reward and is associated with a high risk of developing burnout symptoms.     

区级精神卫生中心医护人员职业倦怠情况探讨

目的:探讨区级精神卫生中心医护人员的职业倦怠情况及相关因素.方法:采用马斯勒职业倦怠量表(Maslach Burnout Inventory,MBI)及一般情况问卷为评定工具,对114名区级精神卫生中心医护人员进行了调查,建立数据库并进行统计分析.结果:在倦怠的3个维度中,未婚医务人员低成就感维度分数显著高于已婚医务人员;不同职称之间低成就感维度差异具有显著性,其中,初级职称分数最高,倦怠程度最强;不同工作年限医护人员之间情绪衰竭维度中差异具有显著性,其中工作年限为5～9年及20～29年组别分数最高,倦怠程度最强.结论:区级精神卫生中心医护人员在职业倦怠项目上存在不同维度的职业倦怠,应建立健全相关管理体制,使医护人员有良好的心境投入工作,提高医疗质量.     

Mississippi front-line recovery work after Hurricane Katrina: an analysis of the intersections of gender, race, and class in advocacy, power relations, and health

By disrupting the routine practices and social structures that support social hierarchy, disasters provide a unique opportunity to observe how gender, race, and class power relations are enacted and reconstituted to shape health inequities. Using a feminist intersectional framework, we examine the dynamic relationships among a government/corporate alliance, front-line disaster recovery workers, and disadvantaged residents in Mississippi Gulf Coast communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which struck in August, 2005. Data were collected between January 2007 and October 2008 through field observations, public document analysis, and in-depth interviews with 32 front-line workers representing 27 non-governmental, nonprofit community-based organizations. Our analysis reveals how power relationships among these groups operated at the macro-level of the political economy as well as in individual lives, increasing health risks among both the disadvantaged and the front-line workers serving and advocating on their behalf. Socially situated as outsiders-within, front-line recovery workers operated in the middle ground between the disadvantaged populations they served and the powerful alliance that controlled access to essential resources. From this location, they both observed and were subject to the processes guiding the allocation of resources and their unequal outcomes. Following a brief period of hope for progressive change, recovery workers became increasingly stressed and fatigued, particularly from lack of communication and coordination, limited resources, insufficient capacity to meet overwhelming demands, and gendered and racialized mechanisms of marginalization and exclusion. The personal and collective health burdens borne by these front-line recovery workers--predominantly women and people of color - exemplify the ways in which the social relations of power and control contribute to health and social inequities.     

某市不同科室临床护理教师职业倦怠感的调查研究

目的：了解医院不同科室临床护理教师职业倦怠感状况,为临床教育管理者提供参考。方法应用MBI-HSS修订的中文版对535名临床护理教师进行问卷调查。结果临床护理教师的职业倦怠感检出率为43．9％,轻、中、重度倦怠分别占总人数的18．9％、15．7％、9．3％;不同科室临床护理教师在职业行为上存在差异,不同职业倦怠感的临床护理教师具有不同的职业行为。手术室临床护理教师个人成就感因子得分最高,急诊科得分（除肿瘤科无差异外）最低;急诊科情感耗竭因子得分最高,肿瘤科次之;肿瘤科去人格化因子得分最高,感染科次之。结论临床护理教师的职业倦怠感应该引起关注,通过临床教育管理者干预及临床护理教师自身学习训练,以减轻职业倦怠感对身心所造成的损伤,提高临床护理及教学质量。     

The satisfaction with the quality of dementia care and the health,burnout and work ability of nurses: A longitudinal analysis of 50 German nursing homes

Background

The increasing prevalence of residents with dementia in Nursing Homes (NH) leads to a demanding work with high physical and psychological workloads. This study focuses on NH nurses and their satisfaction with quality of care for residents with dementia (SQCD) and its impact on nurses' general health, burnout and work ability.

Method

Two-wave (2007/2009) self-report questionnaire data of 305 nurses (RNs and nurses' aides) from 50 German NHs.

Results

58.6% (2007) and 64.9% (2009) of the respondents reported satisfaction with the quality of care of the dementia residents. However, when dissatisfied, this was perceived as substantial work stressor and was adversely associated with nurses' individual resource outcomes. Those nurses who between 2007 and 2009 had become dissatisfied or were dissatisfied at both measurements showed the most adverse scorings for burnout, general health and work ability.

Discussion

The findings imply that in NHs, SQCD may be a relevant work factor with substantial impact on nurses' core resources.     

The effect of music therapy sessions on compassion fatigue and team building of professional hospice caregivers

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of music therapy on compassion fatigue and team building of professional hospice workers. Participants were nurses, social workers, and chaplains and were employed for at least one year in hospice care. Seventeen participants engaged in one of two experimental music therapy groups. Experimental group 1 utilized an ecological music therapy approach with an open, free form without structure and encouraged participation in the live music experiences of instrumental improvisation as well as toning and chanting. Experimental group 2 utilized a didactic music therapy approach with a structured format wherein interventions were planned and facilitated by the music therapist a priori. Such interventions included guided meditation with live music, lyric analyses, and music and movement. To measure compassion fatigue, the Compassion Fatigue Scale (CFS) was used as a pre- and post-test measure in each group. To measure team building, the Team Building Questionnaire (TBQ) was used as a pre-and post-test measure in each group. Statistical analyses indicated a significant improvement in team building in both groups but no significant differences with regard to compassion fatigue. Further research studying the effects of music therapy on compassion fatigue and team building of professional hospice caregivers is recommended.     

Caring for severely ill cancer patients

The goal of the study was to compare working conditions in a hospital with the conditions in a specialized hospital-based home care (HBHC) unit, which aims to replace hospital care for patients in need of institutional car. Staff (doctors included) in a HBHC unit (n=35) and on three hospital wards (n=113) participated in the study. All staff members worked regularly with severely ill cancer patients. Question about stress, job satisfaction and working conditions were asked in a self-administered questionnaire. Both groups showed a limited degree of continuous stress and a high degree of job satisfaction. Thus, the overall perception was than the working conditions were good. When significant differences were found, the responses of the HBHC staff were more positive. This included items such as more freedom to make their own decisions (P<0.001), better co-operation between day and night shifts (P<0.001), a more reasonable work load (P=0.0001), fewer problems in communication with patients (P<0.001), and fewer problems with tension (P<0.05) and with sleeping (P<0.05). The findings may be due to several factors: the HBHC staff were older, more often married, had more children, had worked longer in health care and were thus more experienced. Complementary explanations may be continuous education within the HBHC and an organization stimulating the staff's own initiative, but also capable of supporting when necessary. In conclusion, very satifactory working conditions are achievable within HBHC, despite demanding work with dying cancer patients.