Vulnerability and stressors for burnout within a population of hospital nurses

Ondertitel:a qualitative descriptive study

Background The multitude of negative consequences of nurse burnout calls for interventions to protect the well-being of the individual nurses, patients, and hospital organizations. However, much is still to be discovered about the development of this complex psychological syndrome. Purpose This study aimed to describe the development of nurse burnout for a population of Flemish hospital nurses while considering vulnerability and situational stressors as indicated by the vulnerability-stress model. Methods Ten registered nurses were enlisted for semistructured interviews through purposive sampling. All selected nurses were currently suffering from burnout, showed a burnout risk, or had gone through a burnout in the past. A descriptive thematic analysis was performed with themes inductively emerging from the data. Results Four main themes emerged: “being passionate about doing well or being good,” “teamwork,” “manager,” and “work and personal circumstances.” More specifically, it was the discrepancy between the first individual vulnerability factor and the three situational stressors that led to feelings of stress and burnout. Conclusions The essence of the development of nurse burnout was found in the discrepancy between individual vulnerability and situational stressors. Therefore, we recommend burnout prevention to target both factors.

Jaar van publicatie:2021

Trefwoorden:A1 Journal article

Toegankelijkheid:Open