A multicentre study of burnout prevalence and related psychological variables in medical area hospital nurses

Abstract

Background: Nursing burnout is an important problem that affects nurses’ wellness, the quality of care and the health institutions. Study aims were to estimate levels of burnout; to determine the phase of burnout experienced by nurses in the medical area; to analyse the relationship between burnout and personality and psychological factors. Methods: Quantitative, cross-sectional, multicentre study. Hospitals from eight cities were included. The study sample was n = 301 nurses, working in the medical area of hospitals in the Andalusian Health Service during the second semester of 2017. Sociodemographic, occupational and personality variables were studied using the Revised NEO Personality Inventory together with the Educational-Clinical Questionnaire: Anxiety and Depression, and burnout was measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Results: Almost 40% of the nurses presented high levels of burnout. The three burnouts (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment) presented statistically significant correlations with the personality factors of neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness, and also with the scores recorded for anxiety and depression. Multiple linear regression models showed agreeableness and depression to be statistically significant predictors of all dimensions of the syndrome. Conclusion: Hospital nurses working in the medical area in Andalusia experience high levels of burnout.