The relationships between burnout, general wellbeing, and psychological detachment with turnover intention in Chinese nurses: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: It is critical to minimize nurse turnover to improve the quality of care and patient safety. In-depth investigation is required to better understand the factors related to nurses' turnover intentions. AIM: This study aimed to determine the relationships between burnout, general wellbeing, and psychological detachment with turnover intention among nurses in China. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey using convenience sampling was conducted in one hospital in China between January 2023 and March 2023. A total of 536 nurses were surveyed using the General Wellbeing Schedule (GWB), the Maslach Burnout Inventory scale (MBI), the Psychological Detachment scale, and the Turnover Intention scale. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 statistical software. The chi-square test and binary logistic regression analysis were used to explore the factors related to turnover intention. RESULTS: Our data demonstrated that the turnover intention scores were 13 (10, 15.75), with 56% of nurses exhibiting a high level of turnover intention. Binary logistic regression analysis results indicated that being on a contract (OR = 4.385, 95% CI = 2.196–8.754), working in the pediatrics (OR = 2.392, 95% CI = 1.267–4.514) or obstetrics (OR = 2.423, 95% CI = 1.145–5.126) department, and experiencing burnout (OR = 1.024, 95% CI = 1.008–1.041) were associated with a heightened level of turnover intention. Conversely, organizational satisfaction (OR = 0.162, 95% CI = 0.033–0.787) and general wellbeing (OR = 0.967, 95% CI = 0.946–0.989) were identified as factors that hindered the intention to leave. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study suggest that nurses were employed on a contract basis, working in pediatric or obstetric departments, expressing dissatisfaction with the organization, reporting low general wellbeing, and experiencing high levels of burnout that require special attention. The identification of these risk factors can inform targeted interventions and support programs aimed at improving the wellbeing and retention of nurses in these settings.