Burnout and Quality of Life in Professionals Working in Nursing Homes: The Moderating Effect of Stereotypes

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study aimed to analyse how stereotypes towards older people moderate the relationship between burnout and quality of life (QoL) of professionals working in nursing homes.MethodA total of 312 professionals were asked to complete questionnaires of burnout Maslach Burnout Inventory quality of Life (QPL-35) and aging stereotypes (CENVE). The moderation effects were tested using linear regression models.ResultsA negative association was observed between burnout and QoL. It was also found a statistically significant moderator effect of the total score of stereotypes and the health stereotypes, besides a marginally statistically significant moderator effect for motivational stereotypes. The moderator effects were different for people with low and high negative stereotypes. QoL was more affected under conditions of high burnout, in which people with more negative stereotypes tended to present higher QoL than people with lower negative stereotypes.ConclusionHighly burned-out professionals in nursing homes may avoid their negative feelings projecting them to residents through stereotypes, as a way of coping with burnout and increasing their QoL. However, this mechanism is an “aggressive reaction” and may have negative effects for both the older adult and the professional. The comprehension of these variables is essential for developing adequate intervention programs.

Relationship Between Chronic Health Conditions and Occupational Burnout in the Early Care and Education Workforce

“…Notably, researchers have found that conditions impacting the vascular, upper gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal systems significantly disrupt HRQoL 41 . Additionally, a broad range of studies conducted on health care workers, caregiving professionals, and informal caregivers (eg, parents) have indicated that experience of burnout is negatively correlated with quality of life 42–45 . We hypothesize that accumulation of multimorbidity among ECE staff may not only negatively affect occupational burnout but also impact HRQoL.…”

“…41 Additionally, a broad range of studies conducted on health care workers, caregiving professionals, and informal caregivers (eg, parents) have indicated that experience of burnout is negatively correlated with quality of life. [42][43][44][45] We hypothesize that accumulation of multimorbidity among ECE staff may not only negatively affect occupational burnout but also impact HRQoL. To accurately capture the impact of CHC multimorbidity on burnout in the ECE workforce, continued research should include an evaluation of severity and HRQoL using tools such as the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale and the Medical Outcomes Study Questionnaire (SF-36).…”

Burnout and Nursing Care: A Concept Paper

“…Having clarified the distinction between burnout, stress, and compassion fatigue, it is relevant to mention that other themes are also related to burnout (e.g., depression, anxiety, workload, work performance, co-worker relationships, quality of life), and they should be considered [19][20][21] As stated earlier in this paper, nursing is a stressful profession dealing with human health and illness, eventually leading to job dissatisfaction and burnout [22,23]. When they care for people, the impact on nurses should be acknowledged.…”

“…The latter is frequently thought of as the caregiver’s cost of caring but occurs when nurses are exposed to recurrent interactions that demand high empathic commitment with distressed patients. At present, compassion fatigue can be a substantial influencing factor in nursing burnout [ 18 ]; several studies detected a significant positive correlation between compassion fatigue and burnout [ 19 , 20 ]. However, there is no systematic review on this topic.…”

“…Having clarified the distinction between burnout, stress, and compassion fatigue, it is relevant to mention that other themes are also related to burnout (e.g., depression, anxiety, workload, work performance, co-worker relationships, quality of life), and they should be considered [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]…”