Incidence of burnout in Spanish nursing professionals: A longitudinal study

Abstract 

Background

Burnout is a psychological response to chronic work-related stress of an interpersonal and emotional nature that appears in professionals in service organizations who work in direct contact with the clients or end-users of the organization.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to examine the incidence of burnout in a sample of staff nurses.

Design

The study was longitudinal, and not randomized. The gap between time 1 (T1) and time 2 (T2) was 1 year.

Settings

The data were gathered using an anonymous and self-applied questionnaire in different units of 13 Spanish hospitals.

Participants

The sample consisted of 316 staff nurses, 53 males (16.8%) and 262 females (83.2%). The percentage of the response obtained was 31.37% of all the questionnaires distributed in T1, and 83.77% of all the questionnaires handed out in T2. The characteristics of the sample were stable over time.

Methods

Burnout was evaluated by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-HSS). Descriptive statistics, percentages, and t-test analyses were conducted.

Results

The prevalence of burnout was different according to the approach used: (a) following the cut-off points from the American manual, the prevalence was 2.84% in T1 and 1.89% in T2; and considering the clinically derived cut-off points obtained in Holland, the percentage was 1.26% in T1 and .94% in T2.

Conclusions

The results only confirmed the hypothesis formulated applying the American cut-off points in T1. There was a significant increase in the levels of emotional exhaustion from T1 to T2, but there were no significant changes in the levels of personal accomplishment or depersonalization from T1 to T2. When the scores on the three dimensions of the MBI were considered together, a decrease in the incidence of burnout was obtained from T1 to T2. The prevalence of burnout in staff nurses can be modified over time, depending on the criteria used to estimate the prevalence.

Keywords: Burnout, Job stress, Nursing, Prevalence