Coping with stress and burnout by nurses from surgical and non-surgical wards

Abstract

Introduction. Stress is understood as an unpleasant, negative situation that a person would like to avoid in everyday functioning. It results from chronic stress and is characterized by three dimensions: a feeling of exhaustion or lack of energy, increased psychological distance from the work performed, and a lack of professional fulfillment.

Aim. The aim of the study is to analyze how nurses from surgical and non surgical wards cope with stress and burnout.

Material and methods. The study was conducted among 100 nurses from surgical and non-surgical wards. The following research methods were used in the study: diagnostic survey method and estimation based on the survey technique and the estimation scale technique. The following research tools were used: the author’s metrics, the MINI COPE questionnaire and the MBI questionnaire.

Results. Stress coping strategies and the level of burnout among nurses from surgical and non-surgical wards vary depending on sociodemographic variables, length of service and employment conditions of the respondents. Conclusions. 1. Strategies for coping with stress differ significantly depending on gender, age, education, place of residence and work experience of nurses.
2. The level of professional burnout among nurses varied significantly in terms of the sense of personal achievement and emotional exhaustion depending on the nurses gender. Men were more likely to experience an average level of burnout on the sense of personal achievement scale.
3.Stress coping strategies correlate with the overall level of nurses’ burnout on the emotional exhaustion scale. They choose active and avoidant coping strategies to cope with stress significantly more often. Stress coping strategies correlate with the overall level of nurses’ burnout on the depersonalization scale.
4. Nurses from surgical wards more often chose strategies to cope with stress, such as active coping, seeking support. However, nurses from non-surgical departments chose strategies indicating helplessness significantly.
5. The level of nurses’ professional burnout as part of the sense of personal achievement scale varied significantly depending on the nurses’ place of employment. Non-surgical departments are dominated by people with an average level of professional burnout compared to nurses from surgical departments, where people with a high level.