BURNOUT AND RELEVANT FACTORS IN NURSING STAFF: WHAT AFFECTS THE STAFF WORKING IN AN ELDERLY NURSING HOME?

Introduction: People directly engaged in elderly care can suffer from stress, burnout and related disorders. The aim of this study was to examine the burnout levels of the nursing staff working in an elderly nursing home and its relationship with their self-efficacy, coping strategies and general well-being. Materials and Method: A cross-sectional correlation study was carried out by means of the Individual Information Form, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Self-Efficacy Scale, the General Health Questionnaire and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analysis was also conducted to identify the predictors of dimensions of burnout. The relationship between the variables was examined by Pearson correlation coefficient using SPSS 11.0 statistics program. Results: Mean burnout scores of the participants were 0.78 +/- 0.66 (Min 0, Max 3.2) for emotional exhaustion, 0.39 +/- 0.51 (Min 0, Max 2.2) for depersonalization and 2.99 +/- 0.69 (Min 0, Max 4.0) for personal accomplishment. Conclusion: The results showed that coping strategies and self-efficacy are related to the burnout levels of the caregivers in elderly nursing homes. For better and healthy long term care of the elderly, caregivers have to be given professional and psychological support.