Introduction
Burnout syndrome is a problem commonly seen at various healthcare facilities among medical workers. The article by Lahana et al. addresses the manifestation of this phenomenon among nurses working in social welfare centers for mentally challenged persons in Greece. The study’s purpose was to examine the syndrome and identify the contributing factors associated with the job of a psychiatric nurse (Lahana et al., 2017). The paper is put into the framework of the existing research on medical professionals burnout, citing a substantial body of previous publications that have already explored the issue, indicating the major stressors and dangers connected to this phenomenon. Nurses job dissatisfaction affects the physical and mental health of medical professionals and the quality of care provided to their patients.
Review of the Literature
The study tends to use mostly academic papers published during the first decade of the 21st century, though more relevant publications are also included. This, however, can be explained by the authors intention to create a framework for their research based on the most well-known and recognized publications in their research field.
Previous studies have already discussed the problem of burnout among healthcare specialists considering its causes and implications. This term was first introduced in 1974 by Freudenberger and defined as “a condition of physical and mental energy depletion” due to exposure to various occupational stress factors (Lahana et al., 2017). It is associated with such symptoms as fatigue, cardiovascular disorders, and mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression (Schaugeli et al., 2009). It may also negatively affect patients and medical facilities, lowering the quality of care (Vahey et al., 2004). Risk factors include a lack of perceived personal achievements and other stressors such as extended shifts or poor relationships with colleagues (Schaufeli et al., 2009). Higher rates of burnout have been noted among psychiatry nurses (Sahrian et al., 2008). However, the authors state that there is not enough conclusive information since most previous papers had not differentiated between nurses and other medical workers; their article is also the first to examine burnout syndrome among nurses who care for people with intellectual disabilities in Greece (Lahana et al., 2017).
Theoretical Framework
The theoretical framework for this paper includes the definition and common symptoms of occupational burnout syndrome, the main stressors, and the dangers of this condition, as described in academic literature. Regarding the particular focus of the publication, the authors mention that persons with intellectual disabilities usually require both instrumental and emotional support, and communicating with them can be challenging (Mutkinis et al., 2011). Therefore, the job of nurses working in facilities for mentally disabled persons is associated with an additional set of tasks and stressors, which, as the authors imply, may lead to the increased danger of burnout (Lahana et al., 2017).
The paper is mainly based on psychological research on occupational stress, particularly among healthcare specialists working in various roles at different facilities. The results of the study illustrate that higher rates of burnout are seen among nurses who have chosen this profession randomly rather than out of the desire to help people (Lahana et al., 2017). Hence, the associations can be made with Nightingale’s Environment Theory, which emphasizes that nursing is a calling (Nightingale’s environment theory, 2016). This indicates that this occupation should not be chosen without careful consideration of its demands.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis of the paper is not clearly outlined. However, in the background section, the authors mention the current problems of facilities that provide help for intellectually disabled persons in Greece, such as drops in national health expenditures (Lahana et al., 2017). As a result, many such institutions are understaffed, forcing medical workers to perform numerous professional roles (Lahana et al., 2017). From this description, it can be derived that the authors expect to see these factors among the main stressors which cause professional burnout, consequently, revealing high rates of this syndrome among nurses working in such facilities.
Methodology
The research was conducted in the form of questionnaires distributed among nurses in 15 government-run regional annexes of social welfare centers for the disabled in Greece (Lahana et al., 2017). The analysis was based on 302 respondents, with a total of 108 questionnaires fully completed (Lahana et al., 2017). Thus, the research employs non-probability quota sampling. It is qualitative research since the data was collected by measuring burnout levels. No defined initial hypothesis is present – the authors concentrated on identifying stressors and job dissatisfaction levels of nurses in these facilities. Therefore, the paper utilizes inductive reasoning.
The paper defines its independent variables as gender, age, educational level of the respondents, as well as the reasons for choosing the profession, types, and the number of shifts they perform. The main dependent variable is their burnout level, which is concrete and measurable. Information regarding independent variables was collected through questions regarding the workers socio-demographical and occupational parameters. The Greek version of Maslach’s Burnout Inventory was used to measure burnout itself (Lahana et al., 2017). It is a seven-point scale (0: never, 6: every day) with 22 questions identifying levels of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment (Lahana et al., 2017). This system allows the researcher to obtain clear and defined results regarding the measured variable.
The Ethics Committee of the Hellenic Open University permitted conducting the research (Lahana et al., 2017). The participants were informed on the purposes of the study and how the data would be interpreted; their confidentiality was respected (Lahana et al., 2017). Therefore, the authors abided by the requirements of research ethics.
Data Analysis
To identify risk factors “in the three MBI dimensions according to described socio-demographic and occupational characteristics”, the authors employed “univariate analysis followed by multiple regression” (Lahana et al., 2017, p. 4). It was “performed with the statistical package SPSS 17” (Lahana et al., 2017, p. 4). The data is presented in the form of tables with written comments and explanations.
The majority of respondents have been found positive for burnout revealing “high scores for emotional exhaustion [31.36 (11.60)] and depersonalization [11.27 (6.05)] and low score for personal accomplishments [44.02 (8.41)]” (Lahana et al., 2017). Depersonalization increased with time among individuals who have chosen the occupation “randomly or due to unemployment fear” (Lahana et al., 2017, p. 4). According to the regression model for burnout dimensions, there is a significant statistical correlation between reasons for choosing the profession and job dissatisfaction levels [0.043 (0.021)] (Lahana et al., 2017, p. 4).
Conclusion
One of the significant limitations of the study is connected to the fact that it is mainly concentrated on nurses working in similarly-organized facilities of one country. Therefore, it is hard to generalize the research’s findings. The paper’s strengths include clear structure, design, and measuring methods, as well as the fact that the authors distinguish nurses experiences from those of other medical workers. The study’s results indicate that there is a serious risk of job dissatisfaction among nurses working with mentally challenged patients and outline some contributing factors that governments and hospitals administrations should consider. For anyone who is intended to work as a nurse with intellectually disabled patients, it is essential to acknowledge the risks. It reminded me that nursing should be a calling – not just a profession.
References
Lahana, E., Papadopoulou, K., Roumeliotou, O., Tsounis, A., Sarafis, P., & Niakas, D. (2017). Burnout among nurses working in social welfare centers for the disabled. BMC nursing, 16(1), 1–10.
Mutkins, E., Brown, R. F., & Thorsteinsson, E. B. (2011). Stress, depression, workplace and social supports and burnout in intellectual disability support staff. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 55(5), 500–510.
Nightingale’s environment theory. (2016). Nursing theory. Web.
Sahraian, A., Fazelzadeh, A., Mehdizadeh, A. R., & Toobaee, S. H. (2008). Burnout in hospital nurses: a comparison of internal, surgery, psychiatry and burns wards. International nursing review, 55(1), 62–67.
Schaufeli, W. B., Leiter, M. P., Maslach, C. (2009). Burnout: 35 years of research and practice. Career Development International, 14(3), 204–220.
Vahey, D. C., Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., Clarke, S. P., & Vargas, D. (2004). Nurse burnout and patient satisfaction. Medical Care, 42(2), 57–66.