Exposure to Stress and Burnout Syndrome in Healthcare Workers, Expert Workers, Professional Associates, and Associates in Social Service Institutions.

Background and Objectives: Workplace burnout syndrome is often as sociated with particular aspects of certain job positions, especially those that entail working with people with special needs. The burnout syndrome in healthcare jobs is a serious problem that has grown into an epidemic among healthcare workers and associates. The aim of this research is to assess the presence of stress and burnout syndrome at work with healthcare workers, expert workers, professional associates, and associates in social service institutions in Belgrade. Materials and Methods: This research was conducted in the form of a cross-sectional study of a representative sample in social institutions in Belgrade. It was conducted from March to the end of June of 2023. The sample of the study had 491 participants. The questionnaires used were a structured instrument with social-demographic and social-economic characteristics, workplace characteristics, lifestyle characteristics, and the following questionnaires: DASS-21, Copenhagen, Brief Resilience Scale, and Brief Resilient Coping Scale. Results: The end results indicate the following to be significant risk factors for the occurrence of workplace burnout syndrome: overtime (OR = 2.62; CI = 1.50-4.56), BRS average score (OR = 0.28; CI = 0.17-0.44), DASS21 D heightened depression (OR = 2.09; CI = 1.1-4.04), DASS21 A heightened anxiety (OR = 2.38; CI = 1.34-4.21), and DASS21 S heightened stress (OR = 2.08; CI = 1.11-3.89). The only protective risk factor that stood out was the self-assessment of health levels (OR = 0.60; CI = 0.42-0.85). Conclusion: Overtime is a significant factor associated with workplace burnout. Apart from it, other significant factors associated with workplace burnout were heightened depression, anxiety, and stress levels.

Factors Influencing Burnout Syndrome and Depression in Dentists across Various Institutions.

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to identify the occupational and personal factors influencing burnout syndrome (BS) and depression among dentists in academic faculties, oral and dental health centres (ODHCs), and private clinics. Materials and Methods: This prospective, cross-sectional study was carried out on dentists working in different regions of Turkey. Data were gathered through an online questionnaire hosted on Google Forms. The questionnaire consisted of demographic data and Maslach BS Inventory (MBI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) sections. The demographic data collected included age, height, weight, marital status, blood type, gender, monthly income, income satisfaction, and whether the participant had enough free time. The dentists were divided into three groups, namely, faculty setting, private clinic, and ODHC, according to the institutions at which they worked. Results: The study was composed of 290 dentists, including 172 males and 118 females, with an average age of 36.98 ± 5.56 years. In total, 128 of the dentists worked in faculties, 72 worked in private clinics, and 90 worked in ODHCs. The study found that women exhibited higher EE scores than men (p < 0.05). The comparison of BS and depression scores showed no statistically significant differences between groups based on marital status or blood type (p > 0.05). There was no significant relationship between emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalisation (DP), personal accomplishment (PA), and depression scores according to age, BMI, and work experience (p < 0.05). It was found that the EE scores of the dentists working in faculties and private clinics were lower than those of the dentists working in ODHCs (p < 0.05). Monthly income was associated with depression (r = -0.35). Conclusions: The findings reveal that dentists employed in ODHCs reported greater levels of EE. These results suggest a pressing need for enhancements in the work environments of dentists, especially in ODHCs.

Fear of giving birth alone: Experiences of psychological distress, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and coping- strategies of childbearing women during COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Psychological distress during pregnancy is a well-documented risk factor for adverse maternal outcomes. Distress related to the COVID-19 pandemic may further increase the vulnerability of pregnant women to negative mental health outcomes. AIM: To explore the mental health experiences of pregnant women, focusing on mental health outcomes, challenges related to the pandemic, coping strategies, and factors buffering mental health factors during the restricted COVID-19 lockdown period. METHODS: A mixed-methods survey study was conducted, examining symptoms of anxiety, depression, and burnout among 21 pregnant women. Qualitative data were gathered through open-ended questions about participants' experiences of challenges, coping strategies and buffering factors amid the pandemic. Symptoms of anxiety, depression and burnout were calculated, and qualitative data was thematically analyzed. RESULTS: Approximately one-third (24 %) of the respondents reported clinically significant levels of depression, 19 % reported clinically significant levels of anxiety, and 43 % reported experiencing burnout. All participants reported distress and emotional burden, including fear, worry, stress and anxiety related to the pandemic. Specific concerns such as fear of giving birth alone, fear of the consequences due to lockdown restrictions, insufficient information, disruption of prenatal healthcare services, and fear of miscarriage were prevalent among the participants. Social support, financial stability, stable relationships, adherence to daily routines, reduced stress and social demands, a calmer daily life, physical activity, and less work-related stress including working from home, emerges as buffering factors that aided women in coping with pandemic-related distress. CONCLUSION: Healthcare providers should prioritize stability, predictability, and minimizing disruptions to prenatal care. Broad-based screening is crucial to identify women at risk of depression, anxiety, and burnout. Recommendations for clinical pathways aimed at pregnant women are discussed.

Explaining depression in the language of burnout: Normative reasons for depression in place of deterministic causes.

In recent years, there has been renewed interest in diversifying the understanding and discussion about the causes of depression to move beyond biomedical determinism-a view that biomedical factors are the ultimate cause of an individual's depression. There is increasing emphasis on diversity in how people seek to articulate the causes of depression to incorporate non-biomedical dimensions. Furthermore, the biomedical understanding of depression has been increasingly questioned due especially to emerging limitations in pharmacotherapy. These shifts encourage social analyses that explore what narratives as to the causes of depression are constructed and presented with relative plausibility in different contexts and why and how. By analysing published memoirs of individuals diagnosed with depression in Japan, this study aims to provide fresh insights into narratives around the causes of depression. It illustrates how memoirs portray depression and its perceived causes in characteristic ways in a nation that adopts Western diagnostic systems, biomedical therapeutics and other relevant technologies. I will show that 'burnout' is the dominant theme in the Japanese data, diverging from the predominantly biomedical narrative in Western societies. This burnout narrative depicts depression as the somewhat unfortunate but unsurprising result of overwork arising from individual active adaptations to structural features of the Japanese work culture. I argue that reasons, rather than causes, articulate the making of the burnout narrative by revealing the interplay between the structural and individual and ultimately enrich the understanding of depression. The paper concludes with a call for exploring the shifting relationship between illness and normalcy that the burnout narrative implies. I suggest that further studies could explore how the boundaries between normalcy and illness are enacted and re-enacted and to what avail through public discourse and through shifting diagnostic schemata in the context of different national norms and practices.

Perceived and Received Support by Academic Medicine Faculty During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Single Institution Study.

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted healthcare worker well-being, leading to increased burnout and decreased workplace engagement. To combat expected stressors from the pandemic, our mid-sized academic health center implemented numerous institutional support, such as town halls, and virtual support groups. This study aimed to evaluate faculty utilization of institutional support, its association with perceived organizational support, received organizational support, and burnout. METHODS: A retrospective, cross-sectional survey was distributed to 630 faculty employed at our institution in September 2020, assessing participant demographics, institutional support utilized, perceived organizational support, and burnout, through a combination of self-report measures and qualitative responses. RESULTS: A total of 79 (12.5%) faculty provided complete responses and were included in the analysis. Qualitative analysis identified 4 primary themes: (1) flexibility and adjusted expectations, (2) direct communication, (3) sense of community, and (4) no support felt, with additional subthemes within each larger theme. Increased utilization of institutional support was associated with decreased odds of experiencing burnout. CONCLUSION: Flexibility, communication, and sense of community emerged as important strategies for maintaining faculty well-being and engagement during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study suggests that utilization of workplace support is protective against burnout. Perceived support was not beneficial.

Differential impact of COVID-19 on mental health and burnout.

BACKGROUND: There may be differential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and burnout rates of healthcare professionals (HCPs) performing different roles. AIMS: To examine mental health and burnout rates, and possible drivers for any disparities between professional roles. METHODS: In this cohort study, online surveys were distributed to HCPs in July-September 2020 (baseline) and re-sent 4 months later (follow-up; December 2020) assessing for probable major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), insomnia, mental well-being and burnout (emotional exhaustion and depersonalization). Separate logistic regression models (at both phases) compared the risk of outcomes between roles: healthcare assistants (HCAs), nurses and midwives (nurses), allied health professionals (AHPs) and doctors (reference group). Separate linear regression models were also developed relating the change in scores to professional role. RESULTS: At baseline (n = 1537), nurses had a 1.9-fold and 2.5-fold increased risk of MDD and insomnia, respectively. AHPs had a 1.7-fold and 1.4-fold increased risk of MDD and emotional exhaustion, respectively. At follow-up (n = 736), the disproportionate risk between doctors and others worsened: nurses and HCAs were at 3.7-fold and 3.6-fold increased risk of insomnia, respectively. Nurses also had a significantly increased risk of MDD, GAD, poor mental well-being and burnout. Nurses also had significantly worsened anxiety, mental well-being and burnout scores over time, relative to doctors. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses and AHPs had excess risk of adverse mental health and burnout during the pandemic, and this difference worsened over time (in nurses especially). Our findings support adoption of targeted strategies accounting for different HCP roles.

Role stress, occupational burnout and depression among emergency nurses: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Emergency nurses are a professional group at a high risk of burnout and depression. This may influence their mental state and physical health. AIMS: The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between role stress, occupational burnout and depression among emergency nurses. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 295 emergency nurses from eight tertiary hospitals in western China. The Role Stress Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale were employed. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation analysis and regression analysis were performed. RESULTS: Of the study participants, 54.6% were found to have depressive symptoms and 48.1% had severe occupational burnout. Positive correlations were observed between the scores of role stress and burnout and depression. Approximately 37.1% of the variation in depression was explained by the components of occupational burnout. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency nurses experience high levels of role stress, occupational burnout and depression. Preventive approaches to role stress, burnout and depression are needed to improve their psychological condition and quality of work life.

Beyond compassion fatigue, compassion as a virtue.

One of the great problems of caregivers and health professionals in recent times has been the so-called compassion fatigue and its association with burnout syndrome. Another pole of compassion has been described in terms of compassion satisfaction. Both propositions could be problematic in the caregiving setting. This is an analytical reflective article that through an apparent aporia tries to problematize and propose a theoretical synthesis that allows to denote compassion as a virtue in Aristotelian terms. To this end, it resorts to etymologies, translations and mainly to the classical theoretical references regarding compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction and, of course, Aristotelian ethics. This is a theoretical bet that leaves open the discussion regarding the dichotomies compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction; apathy and hyperpathy; and proposes to rethink compassion as a virtue, a reasoned middle ground, contextualized in the framework of care between two possible excesses.

Emergency units and COVID-19: Burnout, and empathy reported by nursing professionals and perceived by patients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate Burnout Syndrome and empathy self-reported by the nursing staff and empathy perceived by the patient. METHOD: Cross-sectional study in a public emergency unit in São Paulo (from October/2020 to March/2021). The nursing staff answered the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Consultation and Relational Empathy Measure-Nurses (Brazilian version), whereas adult patients answered the Consultation and Relational Empathy Measure (Brazilian version). Descriptive and inferential analysis, with a 5% significance level. RESULTS: A total of 92 professionals and 271 patients participated. Most professionals reported impact of COVID-19 (80; 86.96%) and, among them, increased Burnout Syndrome (93; 75%), but with low emotional exhaustion (71; 74%), low depersonalization (59; 78%) and high level of professional accomplishment (72; 83%). Most reported impact and increased empathy, and the results reported by professionals and patients (mean and standard deviation) were: 39.89 (6.44) and 38.25 (9.45), respectively. CONCLUSION: The professionals reported a low level of Burnout Syndrome and a high level of empathy in pandemic.

Burnout, ethical climate and work organization in covid-19 intensive care units: mixed method study.

OBJECTIVES: to analyze the association between burnout and the perception of the ethical climate in nursing professionals in the covid-19 Intensive Care Unit and the relationship with the organization of work from the perspective of managers of these units. METHODS: mixed method study conducted in three university hospitals in southern Brazil from December 2021 to March 2022. A cross-sectional study was developed with 110 nursing professionals, followed by an exploratory-descriptive study through semi-structured interviews with six managers. Descriptive and analytical statistics and discursive textual analysis were used. RESULTS: the prevalence of burnout was 10% and the perception of negative ethical climate was 24.5%. The association between burnout and ethical climate revealed overload and fatigue during working hours, related to tension, fear, and stress that emerged from the consequences of the organization and relations of work in the covid-19 Intensive Care Unit. CONCLUSIONS: there was an association between burnout and ethical climate and elements of the work organization.

Australian dental practitioners experience of burnout.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with burnout in Australian dental practitioners. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 1483 Australian dental practitioners was conducted from Oct to Dec 2021. Participants reported burnout using the Sydney Burnout Measure, and aspects of mental health including psychological distress, depression, and anxiety disorders. Predictors of burnout were explored using a generalized linear model with a stepped approach including demographic, health and risk factor variables. RESULTS: One in four participants were classified as likely to be experiencing burnout. Burnout was associated with working in a regional/rural location (ß = 2.82, p < 0.001), an academic/non-clinical role (ß = 5.01, p = 0.037), more years of experience as a dental practitioner (ß = 0.08, p = 0.022), a current diagnosis of depression (ß = 2.38, p = 0.049), moderate/severe psychological distress (ß = 7.16, p < 0.001), poor self-rated physical health (ß = 5.84, p < 0.001) and increasing alcohol consumption (ß = 0.17, p = 0.020). Participants who scored high on resilience (ß = -0.23, p = 0.002) or perfectionism (ß = -0.24, p < 0.001) had lower burnout scores. CONCLUSION: Australian dental practitioners appear to be at high risk of burnout which may impact on their health and wellbeing and ability to deliver patient care. There is a need for support services to manage burnout and education to address workplace and environmental factors that may contribute to burnout.

Management standards and burnout among surgeons in the United Kingdom.

BACKGROUND: Burnout arising from chronic work-related stress is endemic among surgeons in the UK. Identification of contributory and modifiable psychosocial work characteristics could inform risk reduction activities. AIMS: We aimed to assess the extent to which surgeons' psychosocial working conditions met aspirational Management Standards delineated by the UK Health and Safety Executive, draw comparisons with national general workforce benchmarks and explore associations with burnout. METHODS: Surgeons (N = 536) completed the Management Standards Indicator Tool and a single-item measure of burnout. Descriptive data were computed for each Standard, independent t-tests were used to examine differences between trainees and consultants, and hierarchical linear regression was applied to explore relations between psychosocial work environment quality and burnout. RESULTS: Psychosocial work environment quality fell short of each Management Standard. Trainee surgeons (n = 214) reported significantly poorer psychosocial working conditions than consultant surgeons (n = 322) on the control, peer support and change Standards. When compared with UK workforce benchmarks, trainees' psychosocial working conditions fell below the 10th percentile on four Standards and below the 50th percentile on the remainder. Consultant surgeons were below the 50th percentile on five of the seven Standards. Psychosocial working conditions accounted for 35% of the variance in burnout over that accounted for by socio- and occupational-demographic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Surgeons' psychosocial working conditions were poor in comparison with benchmark data and associated with burnout. These findings suggest that risk management activities based on the Management Standards approach involving modification of psychosocial working conditions would help to reduce burnout in this population.

Investigation of Nurses' Wellbeing towards Errors in Clinical Practice-The Role of Resilience.

Background and Objectives: The fatigue, stress, and burnout of nurses lead to them frequently making mistakes, which have a negative impact not only on the safety of the patients but also on their psychology. The ability to bounce back from mistakes is crucial for nurses. Nursing staff members' physical and mental health, particularly their depression, is far from ideal, and this ill health is directly correlated with the frequency of self-reported medical errors. The nurses' mental and physical health are also positively correlated with their perception of wellness support at work. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the status of nurses' mental and physical health regarding clinical errors and the impact of resilience on coping with these situations. Materials and Methods: A total of 364 healthcare professionals participated in this research; 87.5% of them were females and 12.5% of them were males. Most of the participants were 22-35 years old. The median number of years of employment was nine. Clinical nurses anonymously and voluntarily completed a special structured questionnaire that included questions from different validated tools in order to assess their state of physical and mental wellbeing after events of stress and errors made during their practice. Results: In total, 49.4% of the nurses had made an error on their own, and 73.2% had witnessed an error that someone else had made. At the time of the error, 29.9% of the participants were in charge of more than 20 patients, while 28.9% were responsible for a maximum of three patients. Participants who were 36-45 years old had more resilience (p = 0.049) and experienced fewer negative emotions than participants who were 22-35 years old. The participants who mentioned more positive feelings according to their mental state had greater resilience (p > 0.001). Conclusions: Errors were likely to happen during clinical practice due to nurses' negative experiences. The level of resilience among the nursing population was found to play a very important role not only in making mistakes but also in coping with errors during their daily routine. Wellness and prevention must be given top priority in all healthcare systems across the country in order to promote nurses' optimal health and wellbeing, raise the standard of care, and reduce the likelihood of expensive, avoidable medical errors. Healthcare administrations should promote prevention programs for stress occurrence in order to support nurses' wellbeing maintenance.

Burnout and quality of life in Portuguese healthcare professionals working in oncology and palliative care-a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families who are facing challenges associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering. Palliative care health professionals are considered a risk group for the development of burnout, since they live with severe disease and death, on a daily basis. With this work, the authors intend to evaluate the quality of life and risk of burnout in a group of health professionals, who work in a tertiary hospital dedicated to cancer patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The authors conducted a quantitative, descriptive, correlational and transversal study on palliative care professionals working with cancer patients. The evaluation protocol used to collect data included a sociodemographic questionnaire, WHO Quality of life Assessment instrument and Maslach Burnout Inventory. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS®Statistics program. RESULTS: In the sample, there is a predominance of female gender (79,4%) with a mean age of 43,2 ± 10,8 years. The most representative professional group was nursing (47,1%). The sample response rate was 91.9%. Analyzing Maslach Burnout Inventory score, it appears that physicians and nurses have higher levels of exhaustion when compared to the other groups. In relation to quality of life (QoL), it was observed that in all dimensions, there was a homogeneous distribution of responses. It was verified that it was not possible to establish any relationship between the dimensions of burnout and QoL. Thus, the various dimensions behaved independently. DISCUSSION: Physicians and nurses had the highest burnout levels in the most dimensions of Burnout score, in which they were followed by the operational assistants, who had moderate scores. Despite hight prevalence of Burnout, there is no correlation between Burnout and quality of life in this population. The perception of QoL is very satisfactory in the sample studied may result from the fact that these individuals have developed adequate self-protection strategies, thus preventing QoL from being affected by Burnout. CONCLUSION: Prevention, diagnosis and intervention at burnout level is an important measure to be taken in health organizations, since the consequences that come from the experiences experienced by professionals will be reflected both in the quality of services provided to patients and in the QoL and well-being of professionals. Interventions are needed to promote better coping mechanisms when dealing with stress in this population. After this study, a Burnout Consultation was created at the Institution, to support professionals at risk or already affected.

Burnout and habits harmful to the health of employees in the Argentine federal prison service.

INTRODUCTION: Given that psychosocial risks may be sources of stress at work and also encourage the presence of burnout, members of state security services are likely to present high levels of this syndrome. OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence and relationship between burnout and unhealthy habits amongst workers of the Argentine Federal Prison Service (SPF). MATERIAL AND METHOD: An ex post-facto study was carried out with descriptive, cross-sectional, comparative and comparative analyses. We used the Spanish adaptations of the Maslach Burnout Inventory MBI-HSS (Maslach and Jackson, 1986), the Test For Nicotine Dependence (Fagerström, 1978) and the Body Mass Index in 151 prison officers (88 men and 63 women of 22 to 52 years). RESULTS: The prevalence of burnout was 6.62%, while the results for dimensions were: smoking 37.09%, passive smoking 70.20%, overweight 45.03% and obesity 44.37%. The dimensions of burnout showed that differences between groups indicate a higher level of emotional exhaustion in treatment and treatment functions, passive smokers and those who consume less fruit and vegetables on a weekly basis. There was greater depersonalization in subjects that are currently smoking. There was lower personal fulfillment in obese people, passive smokers, current smokers, moderate level smokers, those who consume less fruit and vegetables every week and those with obesity. DISCUSSION: Smoking and high body mass index and links with eating habits are factors that may negatively affect the health and wellbeing of prison officers in terms of personal accomplishment.

Midwives' occupational wellbeing and its determinants. A cross-sectional study among newly qualified and experienced Dutch midwives.

OBJECTIVE: Internationally, about 40 percent of midwives report symptoms of burnout, with young and inexperienced midwives being most vulnerable. There is a lack of recent research on burnout among Dutch midwives. The aim of this study was to examine the occupational wellbeing and its determinants of newly qualified and inexperienced midwives in the Netherlands. The majority of practicing Dutch midwives are aged under 40, which could lead to premature turnover. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire that consisted of validated scales measuring job demands, job and personal resources, burnout symptoms and work engagement. The Job Demands-Resources model was used as a theoretical model. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: We recruited Dutch midwives who were actually working in midwifery practice. A total of N=896 midwives participated in this study, representing 28 percent of practicing Dutch midwives. MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS: Data were analysed using regression analysis. Seven percent of Dutch midwives reported burnout symptoms and 19 percent scored high on exhaustion. Determinants of burnout were all measured job demands, except for experience level. Almost 40 percent of midwives showed high work engagement; newly qualified midwives had the highest odds of high work engagement. Master's or PhD-level qualifications and employment status were associated with high work engagement. All measured resources were associated with high work engagement. KEY CONCLUSIONS: A relatively small percentage of Dutch midwives reported burnout symptoms, the work engagement of Dutch midwives was very high. However, a relatively large number reported symptoms of exhaustion, which is concerning because of the risk of increasing cynicism levels leading to burnout. In contrast to previous international research findings, being young and having less working experience was not related to burnout symptoms of Dutch newly qualified midwives. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The recognition of job and personal resources for midwives' occupational wellbeing must be considered for a sustainable midwifery workforce. Midwifery Academies need to develop personal resources of their students that will help them in future practice.

Professional burnout and patient safety culture in Primary Health Care.

OBJECTIVES: to analyze the association between the risk of occupational exhaustion (burnout) and safety culture in Primary Health Care. METHODS: ross-sectional study conducted in 18 Primary Health Care Units in the Northeast of Brazil. Three questionnaires were used: sociodemographic, Maslach Burnout Inventory, and the Medical Office Survey on Patient Safety Culture. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee. RESULTS: seventy-eight healthcare workers participated, of which 64.1% presented a reduced risk of burnout; and 11.5%, a high risk (p=0.000). The following were identified as weakened dimensions of safety culture: Work pressure and pace; Owner, managing partners, leadership support; Overall ratings on quality; and Overall rating on patient safety. CONCLUSIONS: an association was found between low risk of developing burnout syndrome and positive evaluation of safety culture.