ObjectiveTo evaluate the prevalence of burnout syndrome among nursing workers in intensive
care units and establish associations with psychosocial factors.MethodsThis descriptive study evaluated 130 professionals, including nurses, nursing
technicians, and nursing assistants, who performed their activities in intensive
care and coronary care units in 2 large hospitals in the city of Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. Data were collected in 2011 using a self-reported questionnaire. The
Maslach Burnout Inventory was used to evaluate the burnout syndrome dimensions,
and the Self Reporting Questionnaire was used to evaluate common mental
disorders.ResultsThe prevalence of burnout syndrome was 55.3% (n = 72). In the quadrants of the
demand-control model, low-strain workers exhibited a prevalence of 64.5% of
suspected cases of burnout, whereas high-strain workers exhibited a prevalence of
72.5% of suspected cases (p = 0.006). The prevalence of suspected cases of common
mental disorders was 27.7%; of these, 80.6% were associated with burnout syndrome
(< 0.0001). The multivariate analysis adjusted for gender, age, educational
level, weekly work duration, income, and thoughts about work during free time
indicated that the categories associated with intermediate stress levels - active
work (OR = 0.26; 95%CI = 0.09 - 0.69) and passive work (OR = 0.22; 95%CI = 0.07 -
0.63) - were protective factors for burnout syndrome.ConclusionPsychosocial factors were associated with the development of burnout syndrome in
this group. These results underscore the need for the development of further
studies aimed at intervention and the prevention of the syndrome.