Prevalence, levels and related factors of burnout in nurse managers: A multi-centre cross-sectional study

The aims of this study are to analyse the prevalence and levels of burnout syndrome in nurse managers and to evaluate the relationship between burnout and related sociodemographic, occupational and psychological factors.

Burnout syndrome, defined as an emotional response to chronic stress, is a major problem among nurse managers.

The study was conducted using a cross-sectional survey design and data collected by the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the revised NEO Five Factor Inventory and the Educational-Clinical Questionnaire for Anxiety and Depression. The sample population consisted of 86 nurse managers from different hospitals from the Public Health Service of Andalusia, Spain.

A total of 22.4% of the participants presented high levels of emotional exhaustion, 21% experienced depersonalisation and 57.6% had little sense of personal accomplishment. Working long shifts was related to burnout. Emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were predicted by depression, while personal accomplishment was predicted by conscientiousness, agreeableness and openness.

A total of 34.1% of the participants presented high levels of burnout, manifested by feelings of low personal accomplishment. Psychological and occupational factors play an important role in the development of this syndrome.

Nurse managers should seek to detect burnout among staff and colleagues matching the risk profile for this condition and promote interventions to prevent it.