Burnout and its prevalence among public health nurses in Ireland

Abstract

This paper presents the findings from an analysis of survey data which was collected from public health nurses (N = 136) as part of a larger study with more than 4000 nurses and midwives in Ireland. The purpose of the study was to examine the prevalence of burnout using the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory and to compare relationships between burnout, demographic and work characteristics across this group of nurses. Younger PHNs were most likely to report feeling burnout (68%) compared with those aged 51 or over (47%) who reported the lowest levels. PHNs whose highest level of qualification was a primary degree were least likely to report feeling burnout (31%) compared with those who held a Masters / Doctoral degree (54.5%). PHNs who reported working on a fixed-term full-time contract were most likely to report feeling burnout (70%) compared with those who were on a permanent part-time contract (49%). Quantitative analysis, using both descriptive and inferential statistics, was carried out and the findings show that PHNs reported moderate levels of burnout. The findings also show that burnout among PHNs is strongly correlated with the physical demands placed on individuals during work, having constant time pressures, too much being expected of individuals, the work environment being too demanding and dissatisfaction with the physical conditions.

Emotional Labor and Burnout of Public Health Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Mediating Effects of Perceived Health Status and Perceived Organizational Support

“…In previous studies, the excessive emotional labor of health care professionals was reportedly associated with physical and mental health problems, such as somatic symptoms [ 39 ], depression, hypertension, and heart disease [ 18 ]; deterioration of health, such as persistent fatigue, gastrointestinal problem, cardiovascular disorder, and diabetes, could be predictors of burnout among office workers [ 12 ]. Moreover, other studies reported that lower subjective health status among PHNs is associated with a higher perceived level of burnout [ 14 ]; health care professionals with health problems are more vulnerable to personal and work-related burnout [ 5 ]. Such results suggested that long-term accumulation of emotional labor can cause deterioration of personal health [ 10 ] to cause an increase in burnout.…”

“…A previous study that conducted a meta-analysis on prospective studies [ 12 ] reported that job burnout is associated with musculoskeletal symptoms, chronic disease, and cerebrovascular disease, and it may cause insomnia, depression, and lower job satisfaction. Burnout of PHNs during the COVID-19 pandemic could not only cause personal health problems [ 6 ] but also have a negative effect such as loss of work performance or decline in the quality of health care services [ 13 , 14 ]. As the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to linger into October 2021, identification of burnout among PHNs and associated factors could help enhance the professional quality of life of PHNs and could serve as important data for developing strategies to maintain the public health crisis management system.…”

“…Emotional labor is a stressor that leads to burnout [ 15 ], most PHNs live in the community where they work and provide public health nursing through direct interactions with the residents, and thus, they are even more vulnerable to stress and burnout caused by emotional labor [ 14 , 16 ]. Many previous studies have reported that excessive emotional labor can cause mental health problems, such as emotional distress [ 17 ], depression, anxiety, and frustration, as well as musculoskeletal symptoms, pain, menstrual irregularity [ 10 ], weakness, cardiovascular disease [ 18 ], and other physical health problems [ 19 ], while also causing a decrease in perceived health status (PHS).…”

Prevalence of Burnout Among Public Health Professionals: A Systematic Review

“…Among the records retrieved from PubMed (n = 2330), ClinicalKey (n = 134), PsycINFO (n = 224), SocINDEX (n = 45), and EMBASE (n = 594), before screening 477 records were excluded as duplicates (Figure 1). Ultimately, the review incorporated 15 studies, 4 qualitative,21-24 and 11 quantitative studies 25-35…”

The Perception of Occupation by Hospital Nurses in Poland and Germany in Terms of the Risk of Excessive Stress and Burnout as Well as Possible Coping and Preventive Solutions

“…What is interesting is that the research results indicate lower resistance to stress and burnout in younger age groups. For example, in Ireland [14] younger nurses were more likely to report burnout symptoms (68%) compared to those aged 51 or older (47%). An Australian study delivered similar results, showing that baby boomers reported lower levels of stress and burnout than generations X and Y [15].…”