Correlation of burnout syndrome and life satisfaction in the oncology nurses

Nurses’ burnout remains a major global problem that affects several dimensions of their personal and Professional life. AIM To assess oncology nurses’ burnout syndrome and to explore a correlation between burnout syndrome and general satisfaction with life. MATERIAL-METHOD For the data collection an anonymous self report questionnaire was used including information about social and demographic characteristics of the sample, the Maslach Burnout Inventory scale and the General satisfaction with Life scale that are validated in Greek population. The sample consisted of 316 nurses and assistant nurses who worked in Greek oncology hospital departments. Among them 262 (86.5%) were females and 41 (13.5%) were males. The statistical program for social sciences SPSS-15 was used to analyse the data. RESULTS The vast majority of nurses (n=90, 69.8%) stressed that working in the oncology department was not their own choice. Many of them (n=284, 93.1%) emphasized the absence of well organized psychological support teams for the hospital staff. Half of the nurses and assistant nurses suffered from high emotional exhaustion (n=127, 41.9%), diminished personal accomplishments (n=125, 44%) and major feelings of depersonalization (n=114, 38%). The ANOVA showed that the mean working experience as a nurse, the mean working experience in the oncology nursing department and the mean age of nurses and assistant nurses did not correlate with the various levels of emotional exhaustion. Regression analysis showed that the three factors of MBI scale explained 26.7% of the observed variance in the total score of nurses and assistant nurses in the general satisfaction with life scale. The two factors explaining statistically significant this variance were emotional exhaustion (beta coefficient=-0.357, P<0.001) and diminished personal accomplishments (beta coefficient=–0.204, P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS The burnout syndrome for the oncology nurses and the assistant nurses is high and is expressed with feelings of depersonalization and emotional exhaustion. Career staff development programs are needed in order to provide guidance and empowerment to the nursing staff.