Factors affecting burnout in female nurses who have preschool-age children

This prospective cohort study aims to clarify the factors affecting burnout in female nurses who have preschool-age children.

The subjects were 2151 female nurses who have preschool-age children and work at 70 city hospitals across Japan. The questionnaires were completed by 1644 female nurses with preschool-age children in October 2010, and they were divided into a cohort to observe the incidence of burnout, which was investigated in October 2011.

At the baseline, the authors obtained responses from 1802 subjects (83.8%) who had agreed to join the study. The subjects the authors were able to investigate totaled 523, of whom 117 (22.4%) had experienced burnout. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that influencing or predictive factors in burnout were years at the present workplace, will to continue work, assertiveness, overtime work, and spanking children.

Female nurses who have preschool-age children tend to burnout easily if they have been at their present workplace for less than 3 years, wish to quit working, respond to a child's misbehavior with spanking, are "very low" in assertiveness, or work 4-6 h of overtime per week.