Burnout and Metabolic Syndrome in Female Nurses: An Observational Study

Abstract

Nurses are at risk of having burnout due to workload and job stress—studies have reported that chronic stress is associated with metabolic syndrome. This study aimed to assess the association between burnout and metabolic syndrome in a sample of female nurses. Data were collected from a cross-sectional study from 2016 to 2018 in a tertiary hospital in Mexico City. All nurses that work in the hospital were invited to participate. Information pertaining to sociodemographic (age, education level), work (labor seniority, service area, shift work), anthropometric (weight, waist circumference, blood pressure) and biochemical (glucose, serum lipids) variables were collected. Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory test, and metabolic syndrome was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation criteria. A total of 168 nurses participated with a median age of 44 years. The prevalence of burnout and metabolic syndrome was 19.6% and 38.7%, respectively. There was no association between burnout and metabolic syndrome (p = 0.373). However, associations of emotional exhaustion (aOR: 14.95; 95% CI: 1.5–148.7), personal accomplishment (aOR: 0.13; 95% CI: 0.01–0.99), and night shift (aOR: 12.39; 95% CI: 1.02–150.5) with increased waist circumference were found. Strategies are needed to prevent burnout and metabolic syndrome in nurses, especially in those who work at night shift.

Demographic, occupational, and societal features associated with burnout among medical oncology staff members: Cross‐sectional results of a Cancer Center in Beijing, China

“…Connor et al reported that a sense of professional autonomy and being fairly treated were connected to EE. Chico‐Barba et al also found a significant association between night shift and EE. It seems that favorable peer relationships and normal daily routine may help to avoid EE.…”

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Burnout Syndrome among Primary Health Care Nursing Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…This study revealed a high prevalence of BS among PHC nursing professionals, corresponding to 18.3%, with a spatial distribution ranging from 3.7% to 23.5%. Distinct results on the prevalence of BS were found among investigations involving nursing professionals from various work sectors, especially those conducted by Rossi, Santos and Passos [44], Holmes et al [45], Falgueras et al [46], Ferreira and Lucca [47], Merces et al [48], Lima et al [49], Chico-Barba et al [10], with BS prevalences of 10%, 11.1%, 9.6%, 5.9%, 58.3%, 56.6%, and 19.6%, respectively. However, the variation in prevalence in the studies cited is justified by the multiple criteria used to evaluate BS.…”

“…However, the variation in prevalence in the studies cited is justified by the multiple criteria used to evaluate BS. In this study, the criterion chosen is the most widespread in the national and international literature, as it does not overestimate BS [9,10,22,47].…”

“…The data collection instrument was the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI) [19], adapted and validated to Brazilian Portuguese by Tamayo [20]. It consists of 22 questions to explore the three dimensions as follows: EE (1,2,3,6,8,13,14,16,20), DP (5,10,11,15,22) and RPR (4,7,9,12,17,18,19,21). The results are scored with a five-point likert scale: "1", never; "2", rarely; "3", sometimes; "4", often; and "5", always.…”

“…The three main dimensions of the syndrome are the following: Emotional Exhaustion (EE), Depersonalization (DP)-also known as feelings of cynicism and distancing from work-and Reduced Professional Achievement (RPR)-understood as a feeling of ineffectiveness [6,7]. BS impacts absenteeism, presenteeism, decreased productivity, an increased risk pf occupational accidents, alcohol and psychotropic abuse, time off work, and cardiometabolic diseases, among others [8][9][10].…”