Burnout Syndrome Among Psychiatric Unit Nurses: Prevalence and Associated Correlates in Capital Territory Hospitals

Burnout and compassion fatigue are crucial issues among the nursing workforce that are associated with compassion satisfaction and patient care behavior. Relatively little is known about burnout and compassion fatigue among psychiatric unit nurses (PNs) working in psychiatric units in developing countries, like Pakistan.

This study examined and compared the prevalence of burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction among male PNs in public and nonpublic hospitals in Pakistan's capital territory.

This study used a cross-sectional research design.

This study recruited male PNs from psychiatry inpatient units in public and nonpublic hospitals through purposive sampling between June 2023 and December 2023. The Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scale was used to assess PNs' burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction levels.

Among PNs, 59% had severe burnout, 88% had higher risk compassion fatigue, and 12% had high compassion satisfaction. Correlation analysis revealed a significant negative association between burnout and compassion satisfaction (r = -0.261, p < 0.01). Intergroup comparison revealed that PNs in nonpublic hospitals demonstrated higher burnout (M = 28.46 vs. 26.98, p < 0.05, Cohen's d = 0.330) and slightly higher compassion fatigue (M = 24.18 vs. 23.88, p > 0.05, Cohen's d = 0.048). In contrast, PNs working in a public hospital reported higher compassion satisfaction (M = 32.53 vs. 29.62, p < 0.05, Cohen's d = 0.442).

The findings identify modest statistically significant cross-sector differences in occupational well-being indicators between PNs working in public and nonpublic hospitals, accompanied by small-to-moderate effect sizes. The tentative results highlight the necessity of targeted workplace interventions that may support the occupational well-being of PNs operating within resource-limited mental healthcare systems.

This study underscores the necessity of targeted staff well-being interventions within psychiatric inpatient units. PNs in nonpublic hospitals exhibited elevated burnout and diminished compassion satisfaction relative to their public hospital counterparts, whereas compassion fatigue affected nurses across both hospital types equally. Nurse managers can prioritize these disparities by implementing well-being assessments, balanced workload distribution, and tailored psychological support programs. Boosting organizational support may mitigate burnout, enhance compassion satisfaction, improve staff retention, and promote high-quality psychiatric care.