The risk to nurses of developing burnout syndrome

^aCollege of Higher Education for Health Professions in östergötland ABSTRACT In order to get information on the risk to nurses of developing burnout syndrome an interview was carried out with 69 nurses from a large hospital and 28 nurses from a small hospital. Particular attention was paid to the following questions in the questionnaire: Does burnout occur among nurses on a short-stay hospital ward? Is the risk of burnout associated with any particular field of medicine? Does the service as a nurse, hours on duty or rank have any significance? Does the size of the hospital have any influence? Are there any ways of preventing burnout? The questions were asked to establish the presence of a psychical, physical, social and emotional type in addition to factors from the MBI scale. The results showed that nurses risk developing burnout regardless of age, period of service, hours on duty, rank, or field of medicine. The nurse's personality is apparently of relevance but the determinant for burnout development is how different stressors affect the individual. Some methods are proposed whereby the nurses can better cope with the stressors. However, these methods are certainly insufficient and further research is important to define more clearly the principles by which the development of burnout syndrome can be prevented.     

北京市社区护士工作倦怠及相关因素调查

目的调查社区护士工作倦怠现况,并分析人口学变量对工作倦怠的影响。方法采用工作倦怠普适量表(MBI-GS),对北京市海淀区3家社区卫生服务中心及下设社区卫生服务站的141名社区护士进行问卷调查。结果大多数社区护士的工作倦怠处于轻度水平,情绪衰竭、玩世不恭、成就感低落3个维度中高度倦怠的发生率分别为30.5%、19.8%和43.2%。年龄大者情绪衰竭和玩世不恭程度较高,自评健康状况较差者情绪衰竭程度较高,在社区卫生服务站工作者成就感较低。结论社区护士总体工作倦怠水平相对较低。年龄较大、自评健康状况较差、社区卫生服务站的社区护士工作倦怠水平相对较高。     

北京市三级甲等综合医院护士工作倦怠及其影响因素的研究

目的 调查护士工作倦怠现状及其影响因素.方法 便利选取北京市6家三级甲等综合医院725名护士进行问卷调查.结果 护士工作倦怠的情绪耗竭、去人格化、个人成就感维度分别为(27.75±10.86 )分、(7.42±6.41)分、(32.06±9.19)分.组织固素可分别解释工作倦怠各维度40.8%、26.1%、45.4%的变异.结论 北京市三级甲等综合医院护士经历着较高的工作倦息,组织因素是重要预测因素.     

Caring behaviors of burn nurses and the related factors

This study aims to explore and describe nurses' perceptions of their caring behaviors and related factors in several Tehran burn units. Grounded theory was used as the method of analysis. Thirty-eight participants were recruited. Data was generated by unstructured interviews and participant observations, and analyzed by constant comparison. Results revealed that responses to burnout and the type of caring behavior exhibited were affected most markedly by the personal characteristics of nurses and patients and the interaction between these two factors. Long-standing and intense organizational pressures in the burn units of Tehran, in addition to the sensitivity of nurses' characteristics to these pressures, suggest that attributing more importance to the social, political and ethical aspects of caring may aid in executing stress reduction programs and improving nurses' morale.     

A comparative study of organisational characteristics, work characteristics and nurses' psychological work reactions in a hospital and nursing home setting

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was twofold. First, we explored whether there were any differences concerning organisational characteristics, work characteristics and psychological work reactions in two types of health care setting, hospitals and nursing homes. Second, it was investigated and validated whether relationships between organisational characteristics, work characteristics and psychological work reactions found in research on hospital nursing are also present in nursing homes. METHODS: The variables were assessed by questionnaires that were distributed among nurses and caregivers in 15 randomly selected general hospitals and 14 nursing homes in the Netherlands. Manova and hierarchical regression analyses were carried out to explore differences in the variables and in relationships between the variables. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Results show that the major difference in hospital-based and nursing home practice is in the work organisation as assessed by the organisational characteristics "environmental uncertainty" and "decision authority". Relations found between variables are in majority in line with the JDC-model and confirm the applicability of this theory in different types of health care settings.     

Factor structure of the Maslach Burnout Inventory among Finnish nursing staff

The purpose of the study was to investigate the factor structure of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) among Finnish nursing staff. Although the factorial validity of the MBI-HSS has been studied across different countries, the factor structure has never been investigated among Finnish nursing staff. The data were gathered by postal questionnaires from nursing staff working in health-care organizations around Finland. The sample consisted of 627 nurses and nurse managers. The factor structure was studied by using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The fit of the hypothesized three-factor model to the data was superior to the alternative one-factor and two-factor models. The three-factor structure (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, reduced personal accomplishment) showed the best fit, while the internal consistencies of the subscales were satisfactory. The MBI-HSS is a highly suitable instrument for measuring burnout among nursing staff and it is very applicable to Finnish health-care research.     

The association between burnout and physical illness in the general population--results from the Finnish Health 2000 Study

OBJECTIVE: The association between burnout and physical diseases has been studied very little. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between burnout and physical illness in a representative nationwide population health study. METHODS: As a part of the "Health 2000 Study" in Finland, 3368 employees aged 30-64 years were studied. Burnout was assessed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey. Physical diseases were diagnosed in a comprehensive health examination by research physicians. RESULTS: Physical illness was more common among subjects with burnout than others (64% vs. 54%, P<.0001), and the prevalence of diseases increased with the severity of burnout (P<.0001). Burnout was an important correlate of cardiovascular diseases among men (OR=1.35; 95% CI, 1.13-1.61) and musculoskeletal disorders among women (OR=1.22, 95% CI, 1.07-1.38) when adjusted for age, marital status, education, socioeconomic status, physical strenuousness of work, smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption, body mass index, and depressive symptoms. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and cardiovascular diseases increased with the severity of all three dimensions of burnout, that is, exhaustion (P<.0001 and P<.001, respectively), cynicism (P=.0001 and P<.001, respectively), and lack of professional efficacy (P<.01 and P<.0001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Burnout is associated with musculoskeletal diseases among women and with cardiovascular diseases among men. These associations are not explained by sociodemographic factors, health behavior, or depression. Physical illnesses are associated with all three dimensions of burnout and not only with the exhaustion dimension. In the future, the causal relationships between burnout and physical diseases need to be investigated in prospective studies.     

Academic report on burnout among Japanese nurses

Aim: Japanese nurses have increasingly experienced “burnout” in the past several years. Studies on Japanese nurses are required in order to explore how to prevent nursing burnout. The objectives of this report were to: (i) introduce the concept, definition, and measurement of burnout; (ii) look at an overview of the prevalence, possible causes, and consequences of burnout among Japanese nurses; and (iii) explore how to prevent burnout among nurses. Methods: The authors and co‐researchers have been studying burnout among Japanese workers for more than 15 years. Therefore, previously performed studies were reviewed and summarized. Results: In Japan, approximately 36% of human services professionals, such as nurses, were burned out compared to 18% of civil servants, and 12% of company employees. It was quite obvious that nurses are prone to burnout. The possible causes and consequences of burnout among Japanese nurses were reviewed. Excessive workloads and interpersonal conflict in the workplace were possible causes of burnout among Japanese nurses. The consequences of nurse burnout are potentially very serious, including medical accidents/errors. Issues to prevent nursing burnout were then reviewed. Enhancement of cognitive coping skills for female nurses and problem‐solving skills for male nurses could contribute to prevention of burnout in nurses. Conclusion: The authors' previous study revealed that the new model of the organizational context of burnout developed by Leiter and Maslach could be applied to Japanese. Further examination is needed. This report supports the call to scale up burnout prevention strategy for Japanese nurses.     

基层医疗机构护士职业倦怠相关因素分析

目的调查区县级医疗机构中护理人员的职业倦怠情况,为制定相应的对策提供依据。方法采用便利抽样法,在会议期间用Maslach工作倦怠量表中文版（（MaslachBurnoutInventoryGeneralSurvey,简称MBI-GS）对我区县级医疗机构中的381名护士进行调查分析。结果①该地区县级医疗机构中护理人员的职业倦怠三个维度均值处于中度,职业倦怠比较严重;其中护龄6～10年与本科学历护士职业倦怠处于重度水平。②职称、职位倦怠水平呈负相关,工作负荷、夜班轮值频度、经济状况、社会地位、护患纠纷与倦怠水平呈显著负相关。③领导重视、组织支持、社会肯定、绩效呈正相关。结论目前区县级医疗机构中护理人员的职业倦怠比较严重。政府干预,改善社会外部大环境,理解护士、尊重护士对缓解职业倦怠非常重要。领导重视、组织支持、增加编制,减轻工作负荷是缓解倦怠的必要条件。加强自我调节是消除倦怠的基础。     

Therapeutic orientations,professional efficacy,and burnout among substance abuse social workers in Israel

This study investigates the therapeutic orientations of substance abuse social workers and the relationship between these orientations and burnout. Ninety-two social workers who provided outpatient treatment to people suffering from substance-related disorders in Israel participated in the study. The results obtained demonstrated that the substance abuse social workers adhere more to the psychodynamic and ecosystemic therapeutic orientations than to the cognitive–behavioral orientation. A greater adherence to the cognitive–behavioral orientation was associated with a higher sense of professional efficacy; a greater adherence to the psychodynamic orientation was associated with a higher level of exhaustion; and greater adherence to the ecosystemic orientation was associated with lower levels of exhaustion and cynicism. Female social workers reported lower levels of exhaustion and cynicism. The cognitive–behavioral orientation mediated the connection between the social workers' experience in the field of substance abuse and two dimensions of burnout—exhaustion and professional efficacy. Significance of the findings for improving the well-being of substance abuse social workers and for the advancement of psychosocial services is discussed.