Prevalence of professional burnout and its related factors among nurses in Tabriz in 2010

INTRODUCTION: Burnout is a syndrome containing three dimensions of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduction of personal accomplishment. Nurses are exposed to professional burnout (PB) due to their exposure to physical, mental, and emotional stressors, which can lead to numerous complications in their personal, social, and organizational life. This study aimed to define the prevalence of PB amongst nurses working in hospitals in Tabriz and to detect its related effective factors in 2010. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional analytical study conducted on all selected nurses working in hospitals in Tabriz. The questionnaires were filled and returned by 712 subjects after taking their consent. The data were collected by a questionnaire including questions on demographic characteristics and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Independent t-test was employed to compare mean quantitative variables in two groups of individuals with and without PB. Chi-square test was also adopted to compare the prevalence of PB in levels of qualitative variables. Logistic regression test was employed for multiple analyses of PB related factors. In this analysis, variables in level of 0.2 which had an association with PB as a single variable were entered to the model. RESULTS: Among the nurses taking part in the study, 156 (21.9%, CI 95%: 19.0-25.1) suffered from PB based on its definition. The risk of burnout is increased by 1.12-folds for each overwork night shift. Higher education increases professional burnout by 3.17-folds. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of burnout among nurses in Tabriz was revealed. Night shift and education level were shown to have an association with professional burnout.