THE APPLICATION OF TEMPERAMENT THEORY TO BURNOUT IN NURSING PERSONNEL OF TRAUMA CENTER EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS (MYERS-BRIGGS, PERSONALITY, STRESS).
Contributors: United States International University.
Published: 1986
Number of pages: 164
Subjects: Psychology, General.
Description: Problem. The emergency departments of trauma centers can be considered high stress work settings. It has been found that such environments may lead to burnout. This syndrome of severe psychological and physiological symptoms, affecting some people more than others, may impair the burned-out individual's ability to carry out his or her job duties. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether temperament influences the likelihood of burnout.

Method. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Form G (MBTI:G), was administered to evaluate the personality type, and from that, the temperament of nurses (n = 127) working in trauma center emergency departments. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was administered to obtain a quantifiable evaluation of burnout. This instrument generates frequency and intensity scores for Emotional Exhaustion (EE), Depersonalization (DP), and Personal Accomplishment (PA). A Demographic Questionnaire was included in the survey. One way analysis of variance was performed comparing burnout factors generated by the MBI with temperament and personality preference results as well as various demographic characteristics.

Results. No significant differences were found among the temperaments with respect to frequency or intensity of either Emotional Exhaustion or Depersonalization. However, the Intuitive-Thinking (NT) temperament achieved significantly higher scores (p < .05) than the other three temperaments (Sensing-Judging, Sensing-Perceiving, and Intuitive-Feeling) in both frequency and intensity of Personal Accomplishment, suggesting a lesser degree of burnout. Other findings correlating personality preferences and demographic characteristics were also reported. A discussion of these results and suggestions for further research were included.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-04, Section: B, page: 1706.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY, 1986.

School code: 0239.