[Burnout and occupational stress in nurses]

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Healthcare workers are susceptible to burnout, role conflict, and job dissatisfaction due to demanding work environments.
• Burnout, a response to chronic job stress, significantly impacts healthcare settings, causing psychological, emotional, and physical strain.
• The psychosocial work environment is increasingly recognized as a critical factor in healthcare worker well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between burnout, occupational stress, and personality traits in nurses.
• To compare burnout and occupational stress levels between nurses in Infectious Diseases and Medical Oncology departments.
• To identify personality characteristics that may predict burnout syndrome.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 120 nurses from two hospital departments (Infectious Diseases and Medical Oncology) participated.
• The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was used to assess burnout levels.
• Occupational Stress Inventory and Comrey Personality Scale were administered to measure occupational stress and personality characteristics, respectively.

Main Results:

• Medical Oncology nurses reported significantly higher levels of burnout compared to Infectious Diseases nurses.
• Infectious Diseases nurses exhibited higher occupational stress, particularly in "stress sources," "coping strategies," and "psychological health."
• Specific personality characteristics were identified as predictors of burnout in the Medical Oncology group.

Conclusions:

• The study underscores the critical role of the psychosocial work environment in healthcare.
• Interrelationships between burnout, occupational stress, and psychosomatic health are significant for healthcare workers.
• Improving the psychosocial work environment is recommended as a preventive measure to reduce burnout risk.