Turkish nurses' psychological resilience and burnout levels during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A correlational study

Abstract

AimsTo investigate the relationship between the psychological resilience and burnout of nurses caring for COVID‐19 patients and to determine the factors that affect their psychological resilience and burnout.BackgroundIn pandemic diseases such as COVID‐19, nurses experience burnout due to long working hours, decreased quality of life and anxiety/fear about their own/families' health. Psychological resilience helps to control burnout in nurses and prevent the development of a global nurse shortage.DesignThis was a descriptive, correlational study.MethodsThe sample of this study included 201 nurses in a Training and Research Hospital. The study used the Brief Resilience Scale and the Burnout Measure Short Version. Data were collected between 4 May and 1 June 2020. Statistical analysis was made with Pearson/Spearman, independent sample t test, one‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test.ResultsNurses reported moderate burnout and psychological resilience, with a negative and highly significant correlation between psychological resilience and burnout levels.ConclusionsIn order to increase the quality of patient care/treatment, nurse managers need to reduce nurses' burnout and increase their psychological resilience. Nurses are recommended to adopt a healthy lifestyle, organize training programmes and implement psychological resilience interventions to prevent sleep disorders. Giving nurses the tools to understand what they need to manage within their locus of control will allow them to find a new sense of resilience, preventing potential burnout.