Burnout syndrome in Brazilian and Spanish nursing workers

OBJECTIVE: to analyze the burnout dimensions scores in Brazilian and Spanish nursing workers. METHOD: quantitative, cross-sectional and comparative study conducted with 589 Nursing workers who answered the Sociodemographic and Professional Characterization Questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Descriptive and analytical analysis of the data was performed. RESULTS: Spanish Nursing workers presented higher averages in the Depersonalization dimension (p = 0.004) and Brazilians, higher scores in the Professional Achievement dimension (p = 0.031). In both Spain and Brazil, nursing assistants / technicians were found to have higher Emotional Exhaustion than nurses; In Brazil, Depersonalization is higher in nurses and in Spain it is higher in Nursing assistants / technicians. Statistically significant results were found in the association of burnout dimensions with sociodemographic and work characteristics: age; professional category; workplace; work regime; work shift; time of professional experience; working time in the same workplace and consider stressful work. CONCLUSION: Although Brazilian and Spanish nursing workers score low levels of Depersonalization and high Professional Achievement, there are average levels of Emotional Exhaustion, indicating an important preventive factor to be worked on, since Emotional Exhaustion is considered the first stage of burnout.