REAL AND PERCEIVED BURNOUT IN NURSES.
Contributors: Miami Inst. Of Psychology Of The Caribbean Ctr. For Advanced Studies.
Published: 1996
Number of pages: 319
Subjects: Psychology, Industrial.; Health Sciences, Occupational Health and Safety.; Health Sciences, Nursing.; Psychology, Clinical.
Description: This study examines (1) the subjective burnout perceptions of Registered Nurses versus their actual objective scores on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI); and (2) the correlation between perceived social support given to and received from work and nonwork sources and the MBf criteria. The sample population consisted of a total 29 staff and nurse managers from Labor and Delivery, Psychiatric, and Perioperative specialties. Respondents filled out a biodemographic survey which included a self-perception burnout item, a social support questionaire, and the MBI, which measures emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and one's sense of personal accomplishment.

Aggregate group scores indicated a population in the low-moderate range on the Emotional Exhaustion--18.33 (SD 10.27)--and Depersonalization subscales--5.03 (SD 5.4)--and in the moderate range--37.7 (SD 6.15)--for the Personal Achievement category. T-tests between staff and supervisors for differences in social support, time on the unit, and the burnout subscales did not yield a significant correlation.

Aggregate group dependent t-tests were performed which evaluated the quantity, quality, and adequacy of social support given and received from supervisors, coworkers, friends, and family members. This ancillary data suggests that this sample of nurses perceive a significant general (p $<$.01) imbalance in support received in all areas of their lives, in that they perceive themselves as giving significantly more to supervisors (p $<$.01), coworkers (p $<$.01), friends (p $<$.05), and family (p $<$.05), in that order, than they receive. Similar results were reported by supervisors regarding the lack of perceived support received from their superiors.

A large majority of the sample population were able to sustain positive profiles. At the same time they are generally reporting low-to-moderate levels of burnout, they are receiving what appears to be adequately high levels across all three measured areas of social support--quantity, quality and adequacy--in the 75-76 percentile range. This high level of social support appears to be buffering these respondents against the effects of burnout. The difficulty seems to be that they perceive their levels of support quality, quantity and adequacy given to others to be at the 86-87% level.

Results indicate an overall inability to subjectively recognize the emotional and cognitive symptomatology of burnout in a majority of the sample population. The test RN's self-perceptions of their levels of burnout were accurate across all three MBI subscales only 40% of the time. Subjective misperceptions on one scale, whether an overestimate or an underestimate, occurred 30% of the time. Incongruencies on two scales were reported 15% of the time and another 15% totally misperceived themselves on all three subscales. Supervisors were more than twice (54%) as likely to give incongruent burnout self-appraisals as staff members (25%).

As an aggregate group, 25 of the 63 total responses (40%) on the objective MBI were congruent with their respective self appraisals. High Personal Accomplishment was reported by only 30% of the sample and low Personal Accomplishment was indicated by almost half (48%) of the target population. High Emotional Exhaustion was reported by 19% of the sample and only 8% indicated high Depersonalization scores. Only two respondents indicated feelings of high Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization that were coupled with low feelings of Personal Accomplishment, Maslach's classical burnout paradigm. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-10, Section: B, page: 6630.

Thesis (PSY.D.)--MIAMI INST. OF PSYCHOLOGY OF THE CARIBBEAN CTR. FOR ADVANCED STUDIES, 1996.

School code: 1007.