Predictors of burnout of health professionals in the departments of maternity and gynaecology, and its association with personality factors: A multicentre study

Abstract

Aims and objectives To analyse the prevalence, levels and phases of burnout syndrome in midwives and obstetrics and gynaecology nurses, and to evaluate the relationship between burnout and sociodemographic, occupational and psychological factors. Background Burnout syndrome is a major problem in occupational health, characterised by feelings of exhaustion, depersonalisation and a low sense of personal achievement that appears after long‐term occupational stress. Recent research has found that burnout harms the physical and mental well‐being of workers, and jeopardises the quality of care provided. The association between burnout and a risk profile in maternity wards has not previously been investigated but it deserves special attention since it is a highly stressful area to work in. Design A cross‐sectional survey design was selected. Methods A total of 150 nurses and midwives at 18 hospitals participated in this study. The data were collected using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, NEO Personality Inventory and the Educational‐Clinical Questionnaire: Anxiety and Depression. This study adhered to the STROBE guideline. Results 17% of participants presented high levels of emotional exhaustion, 16.6% high depersonalisation and 55.1% a sense of low personal accomplishment. The sociodemographic and occupational variables related to burnout were gender, marital status and work shift. The three dimensions of the syndrome, emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment were predicted by depression, neuroticism, agreeableness and openness. Conclusions One third of the sample presented high levels of burnout, which was most strongly experienced as feelings of low personal accomplishment. Furthermore, personality factors play an important role in the development of burnout syndrome. Relevance to clinical practice Managers and policy makers should promote strategies to reduce burnout. To prevent the syndrome, personality factors should be taken into account, for the early identification of a profile of professionals most at risk of developing burnout.

Burnout Syndrome in Paediatric Nurses: A Multi-Centre Study

“…Regarding the prevalence of burnout in paediatric nurses, the values we obtained for PA, EE, and D were higher than those reported previously [39]. EE is especially high among nurses working in the oncology area, while high D and low PA are more prevalent in paediatric departments [40].…”

Explanatory Models of Burnout Diagnosis Based on Personality Factors and Depression in Managing Nurses

“…In contrast, it is lower when the nurse has a resistant personality and self-control of their inner environment [ 25 ]. Other authors have examined the impact of the five personality factors on the progress of this syndrome [ 25 , 26 , 27 ]. This model describes personality in terms of five basic factors: neuroticism, friendliness, responsibility, extraversion and openness to experience [ 28 ].…”

Impact of professional commitment on professional capability improvement and care quality dimensions: A multi‐wave study

“…Our study examined how dimensions of professional commitment would motivate professional capability improvement and therefore care quality. Personality traits are influential in the nursing profession (Chen et al, 2020; De la Fuente‐Solana et al, 2020). Future studies could examine what personality traits may predict strong professional commitment, as did by Nesje (2016).…”

“…Our study examined how dimensions of professional commitment would motivate professional capability improvement and therefore care quality. Personality traits are influential in the nursing profession (Chen et al, 2020;De la Fuente-Solana et al, 2020).…”