Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T10:43:26.883Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Comparison of experienced burnout symptoms in specialist oncology nurses working in hospital oncology units or in hospices

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 September 2010

Luca Ostacoli ,
Marco Cavallo ,
Marco Zuffranieri ,
Manuela Negro ,
Erica Sguazzotti ,
Rocco Luigi Picci ,
Patrizia Tempia ,
Pietro La Ciura  and
Pier Maria Furlan
Luca Ostacoli
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, “San Luigi Gonzaga” Hospital Medical School, The University of Turin, Turin, Italy
Marco Cavallo*
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, “San Luigi Gonzaga” Hospital Medical School, The University of Turin, Turin, Italy Department of Medical Sciences, “Amedeo Avogadro” University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy
Marco Zuffranieri
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, “San Luigi Gonzaga” Hospital Medical School, The University of Turin, Turin, Italy
Manuela Negro
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, “San Luigi Gonzaga” Hospital Medical School, The University of Turin, Turin, Italy
Erica Sguazzotti
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, “San Luigi Gonzaga” Hospital Medical School, The University of Turin, Turin, Italy
Rocco Luigi Picci
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, “San Luigi Gonzaga” Hospital Medical School, The University of Turin, Turin, Italy
Patrizia Tempia
Affiliation:
Clinical Psychology Unit, Biella, Italy
Pietro La Ciura
Affiliation:
Palliative Care Unit, Cuneo, Italy
Pier Maria Furlan
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, “San Luigi Gonzaga” Hospital Medical School, The University of Turin, Turin, Italy
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Marco Cavallo, Department of Mental Health, “San Luigi Gonzaga” Hospital, The University of Turin, S.C.D.U. of Psychiatry - Regione Gonzole 10, 10043 Orbassano, Turin, Italy. E-mail: marcocavallo79@libero.it
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

This study aimed to clarify the differential contributions of situational and individual factors to burnout symptoms experienced by two independent groups of specialist oncology nurses working in oncology hospital units or in hospices.

Method:

The study involved a group of specialist oncology nurses working in hospital oncology units (n = 59) and a group of specialist oncology nurses working in hospices (n = 33). Participants were invited to provide demographic data, and indicate the clinical setting in which they worked and their work experience; the Italian versions of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) (a measure of burnout symptoms), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) (a measure of anxiety and depression), and the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ) (a measure of relational style) were then administered.

Results:

The two groups of nurses were well matched for age, work experience, and levels of anxiety and depression. Regarding their relational style, the two groups only differed significantly on two subscales of the ASQ (i.e. “Confidence” and “Relationships as Secondary”). The two groups significantly differed in the levels of all burnout symptoms investigated (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal achievement), with nurses working in hospital units showing higher levels of burnout symptoms. Interestingly, multivariate regression analyses showed that the institutional factor (clinical setting in which nurses worked) clearly emerged as the only factor that influenced the level of all burnout symptoms, whereas the contribution of individual factors was less significant.

Significance of results:

These findings help to clarify the differential contributions of institutional and individual factors to burnout symptoms in specialist oncology nurses, and corroborate the need for interventions to contain nurses' burnout symptoms.

Keywords

BurnoutHospitalHospiceNurseOncology
Type
Original Articles
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 8 , Issue 4 , December 2010 , pp. 427 - 432
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bram, P.J. & Katz, L.F. (1989). Study of burnout in nurses working in hospice and hospital oncology settings. Oncology Nursing Forum, 16, 555–560.Google ScholarPubMed
Brusaferro, S., Agnoletto, A.P., Gubian, F., et al. (2000). Use of the Maslach Burnout Inventory to support health care workers management in hospital. Journal of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene, 41, 18–23.Google Scholar
Byrne, B.M. (1994). Burnout: Testing for the validity, replication, and invariance of causal structure across elementary, intermediate, and secondary teachers. American Educational Research Journal, 31, 645–673.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Costantini, M., Musso, M., Viterbori, P., et al. (1999). Detecting psychological distress in cancer patients: Validity of the Italian version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Supportive Care in Cancer, 7, 121–127.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dorz, S., Novara, C., Sica, C., et al. (2003). Predicting burnout among HIV/AIDS and oncology health care workers. Psychology and Health, 18, 677–684.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feeney, J.A., Noller, P., & Hanrahan, M. (1994). Assessing adult attachment. In Attachment in Adults: Clinical and Developmental Perspectives, Sperling, M.B. & Berman, W.H.(eds.). pp. 128–152. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Fossati, A., Feeney, J.A., Donati, D., et al. (2003). On the dimensionality of the Attachment Style Questionnaire in Italian clinical and nonclinical participants. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 20, 55–79.Google Scholar
Friedman, I.A.. (2000). Burnout in teachers: Shattered dreams of impeccable professional performance. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 56, 595–606.3.0.CO;2-Q>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maslach, C. (1982). Burnout - The Cost of Caring. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Maslach, C. & Jackson, S.E. (1981a). The Maslach Burnout Inventory. Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press.Google Scholar
Maslach, C. & Jackson, S.E. (1981b). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Behaviours, 2, 99–113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maslach, C. & Leiter, M.P. (1997). The Truth about Burnout: How Organizations Cause Personal Stress and What To Do About It. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.Google Scholar
Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W.B. & Leiter, M.P. (2001). Job burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 397–422.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McVicar, A. (2003). Workplace stress in nursing: A literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 44, 633–642.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Medland, J., Howard-Ruben, J. & Whitaker, E. (2004). Fostering psychosocial wellness in oncology nurses: Addressing burnout and social support in the work place. Oncology Nursing Forum, 31, 47–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Papadatou, D., Anagnostopoulos, F. & Monos, D. (1994). Factors contributing to the development of burnout in oncology nursing. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 67, 187–199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rokach, A. (2005). Caring for those who care for the dying: Coping with the demands on palliative care workers. Palliative & Supportive Care, 3, 325–332.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sherman, A.C., Edwards, D., Simonton, S., et al. (2006). Caregiver stress and burnout in an oncology unit. Palliative & Supportive Care, 4, 65–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sirigatti, S. & Stefanile, C. (1993). The Maslach Burnout Inventory: Adattamento e Taratura per l'Italia. Firenze: Organizzazioni Speciali.Google Scholar
Trufelli, D.C., Bensi, C.G., Garcia, J.B., et al. (2008). Burnout in cancer professionals: A systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Cancer Care, 17, 524–531.Google ScholarPubMed
Vachon, M.L.S. (1995). Staff stress in hospice/palliative care: A review. Palliative Medicine, 9, 91–122.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vachon, M.L.S. & Huggard, J. (2010). The experience of the nurse in end-of-life care in the 21st Century: Mentoring the Next Generation. In Textbook of Palliative Nursing, Ferrell, B.R. & Coyle, N.(eds.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Zigmond, A.S. & Snaith, R.P. (1983). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 67, 361–370.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed