Demographics and Personality Factors Associated with Burnout among Nurses in a Singapore Tertiary Hospital

Abstract

Background. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence and extent of burnout among nurses in Singapore and investigate the influence of demographic factors and personal characteristics on the burnout syndrome. Methods. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted. All registered nurses working in Singapore General Hospital were approached to participate. A questionnaire eliciting data on demographics, burnout (measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, MBI), and personality profile (measured using the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, NEO-FFI) was used. Results. 1830 nurses out of 3588 responded (response rate: 51%). Results from 1826 respondents were available for analysis. The MBI identified 39% to have high emotional exhaustion (EE, cut-off score of >27), 40% having high depersonalization (DP, cut-off score of >10), and 59% having low personal accomplishment (PA, cut-off score of <33). In multivariable analysis, age, job grade, and neuroticism were significantly associated with each of the 3 components of the MBI. Staff nurses less than 30 years with high to very high neuroticism were more likely to experience high EE, high DP, and low PA. Conclusion. Younger nurses in Singapore are at increased risk of burnout. Personality traits also played a significant role in the experience of burnout.

Influence of sociodemographic, occupational and life style factors on the levels of burnout in palliative care health professionals

“…Aunque la literatura muestra una gran heterogeneidad en los resultados encontrados respecto a los factores de riesgo sociodemográficos de burnout, diferentes estudios apoyan que los sujetos más jó-venes presentan niveles mayores de burnout 1,20 . Sin embargo, otros han mostrado resultados opuestos 21,22 e incluso algunas investigaciones han informado de la no existencia de tal relación 23 .…”

“…Este suele aparecer cuando existe una exposición prolongada a diferentes estresores de tipo emocional e interpersonal, exigiendo una alta implicación emocional con las personas a las que se les provee algún servicio. Aunque originariamente el estudio del síndro-me de burnout se realizó con profesionales que dan servicio a otras personas, en la actualidad se ha hecho extensivo a otro tipo de perfiles laborales 1 . Maslach y Jackson 2 fueron las impulsoras de la teoría clásica del burnout y establecieron la presencia de tres dimensiones que se desarrollan de forma gradual a lo largo del tiempo: el cansancio emocional, entendido como sentimientos de apatía y de no poder dar más de sí mismo en el ámbito emocional y afectivo; la despersonalización, que hace referencia al desarrollo de sentimientos y actitudes de cinismo y de carácter negativo hacia las personas con las que se trabaja; la baja realización personal, entendida como la tendencia a evaluarse negativamente, especialmente en relación a la habilidad para realizar el trabajo y para relacionarse eficazmente en el ámbito laboral.…”

Empathy and burnout: a study on residents from a Singapore institution

“…(20) Similarly, nurses in Singapore have intermediate levels of burnout when compared to their peers from China or the United Kingdom (UK). (21) Singapore likely represents a middle ground, with a confluence of Eastern and Western cultures, and is a unique context to evaluate empathy and burnout. (20) This study was conducted to evaluate empathy and burnout among residents in Singapore.…”

Effects of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus on post-traumatic stress disorder and burnout among registered nurses in South Korea

“…Queiros et al [36] reported that DP was related to individual age and gender while job rank (senior or junior) and length of working experience were significantly associated with poor sense of PA. In other studies, EE was associated with age and education level [37] and unmarried nurses had high scores of EE and DP and low score of PA. [16] Ang et al [15] also found that age, job rank, and neuroticism were significantly related to EE, DP, and PA.…”

“…[14] Moreover, it can be related to nurse shortages in diverse clinical settings. [15][16][17] Burnout has a wide range of symptoms; [17] however, it can be conceptualized into three categories: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and reduced personal accomplishment (PA). [18] Emotional exhaustion refers to feelings of being overwhelmed; depersonalization is defined as impersonal feelings that seem unreal or not belonging to oneself; while reduced personal accomplishment means a lack of self-achievement.…”