Evaluation of a Psychological Capital Intervention to Alleviate Burnout and Regulate Immunity Among Oncology Nurses
Condition: Burnout; Psychological
MeSH terms: Burnout, Psychological
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Burnout appears to be highly prevalent among oncology nurses, which was a problem not only
      for the nurses themselves but for the patients for whom they provide care. How to mitigate
      and prevent burnout and improve nursing performance outcomes is an urgent problem for nursing
      manager.

      In a sample of 99 oncology nurses, immunological characteristics were compared to burnout
      scores. In a randomized trial, 90 oncology nurses suffering burnout were randomized to
      receive psychological capital intervention or routine psychological care. Participants were
      assessed before and after treatment using measures of burnout, psychological capital and
      immunological characteristics.
    

Detailed description: 
      Burnout appears to be highly prevalent among oncology nurses, which was a problem not only
      for the nurses themselves but for the patients for whom they provide care. And
      burnout-associated biomarkers remain controversial, and their potential roles in burnout are
      still unclear.

      This study was a randomized controlled trial in which the independent variable was group
      psychological intervention, while the dependent variables were pre- and post-intervention
      scores on the Maslach burnout inventory and on the psychological capital scale, as well as
      values for various immunological indicators. In Stage 1 of the study, recruited subjects
      completed the psychological capital questionnaire and blood was sampled. In Stage 2, the
      research team administered a custom-designed psychological capital intervention (PCI) to part
      of the sample, while the other part received routine care . The PCI group received 1 h of
      counseling twice weekly for a total of 24 weeks in total. In Stage 3, the PCI and control
      groups completed the questionnaires again and provided blood samples.
    

Intervention name(s): psychological intervention based on psychological capital
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Psychological capital would be modified via various training programs in order to manage burnout among nurses. When the four core psychological resources are combined, they may form a higher-order construct that predicts attitudes and performance more strongly than any of the four components by themselves .
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: The intervention program was taught by experts with at least the title of deputy chief nurse who had been engaged in clinical psychological nursing for a long time. These teachers helped nurses with burnout to develop their own positive psychology, learn optimism, embrace hope, find available support systems and resources, plan their careers. Training took the form mainly of Balint groups, lectures, group discussions, video watching and outdoor development. Personalized counseling was provided to address specific psychological problems in individuals, in a way that ensured personal privacy. The intervention occurred as 12 sessions of 60 min each, twice a month, lasting altogether six months.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Other
Keywords: Burnout; oncology nurses; positive psychology capital intervention; immune variables