Role of resilience in healthcare workers' distress and somatization during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study across Flanders, Belgium

AIM

To evaluate the impact and the possible role of psychological resilience in the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak on healthcare workers' mental and physical well-being in Belgium.

DESIGN

This cross-sectional, survey-based study enrolled 1376 healthcare workers across Belgium from 17 April 2020 to 24 April 2020.

METHODS

The study sample consisted of direct care workers (nurses and doctors), supporting staff and management staff members. The main outcomes are resilience, distress and somatization.

RESULTS

Higher educational level was associated with lower symptoms of distress and somatization. Physicians exhibited the lowest risk of experiencing heightened levels of distress and somatization. Controlling for confounding factors, higher levels of resilience were associated with a 12% reduced chance of increased distress levels and 5% lower chance of increased somatization levels. Our results suggest the potentially buffering role of mental resilience on those working on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

Vulnerability and Stressors for Burnout Within a Population of Hospital Nurses: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

BACKGROUND

The multitude of negative consequences of nurse burnout calls for interventions to protect the well-being of the individual nurses, patients, and hospital organizations. However, much is still to be discovered about the development of this complex psychological syndrome.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to describe the development of nurse burnout for a population of Flemish hospital nurses while considering vulnerability and situational stressors as indicated by the vulnerability-stress model.

METHODS

Ten registered nurses were enlisted for semistructured interviews through purposive sampling. All selected nurses were currently suffering from burnout, showed a burnout risk, or had gone through a burnout in the past. A descriptive thematic analysis was performed with themes inductively emerging from the data.

RESULTS

Four main themes emerged: "being passionate about doing well or being good," "teamwork," "manager," and "work and personal circumstances." More specifically, it was the discrepancy between the first individual vulnerability factor and the three situational stressors that led to feelings of stress and burnout.

CONCLUSIONS

The essence of the development of nurse burnout was found in the discrepancy between individual vulnerability and situational stressors. Therefore, we recommend burnout prevention to target both factors.

Vulnerability to burnout within the nursing workforce-The role of personality and interpersonal behaviour

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To study the combination of personality and interpersonal behaviour of staff nurses in general hospitals in relation to burnout and its separate dimensions.

BACKGROUND

More research on the individual factors contributing to the development of burnout is needed to improve the risk profile of nursing staff. Therefore, a combination of Leary's interpersonal circumplex model, which depicts the interpersonal behaviour trait domain, and the five-factor model was considered in the study at hand.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional research method was applied using self-report questionnaires.

METHODS

A total of 880 Belgian general hospital nurses were invited to participate in the study. Data were collected from November 2012-July 2013. The questionnaire consisted of three validated self-report instruments: the NEO five-factor inventory, the Dutch Interpersonal Behaviour Scale and the Maslach Burnout Inventory.

RESULTS

Of the 880 nurses invited to participate, 587 (67%) returned the questionnaire. Sex, neuroticism, submissive-friendly behaviour, dominant-friendly behaviour and vector length were found to be predictive factors for emotional exhaustion. For depersonalisation, sex, neuroticism, conscientiousness, friendly behaviour, submissive-friendly behaviour, dominant-hostile behaviour and vector length were predictive factors. Finally, personal accomplishment was determined by neuroticism, openness, conscientiousness, and hostile behaviour.

CONCLUSIONS

This study confirmed the influence of the Big Five personality factors on the separate dimensions of burnout. Interpersonal behaviour made a significant contribution to the predictive capacity of the regression models of all three dimensions of burnout. Additional longitudinal research is required to confirm the causal relationship between these individual factors and burnout.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

The results of this study can help to achieve a better understanding of which vulnerabilities an individual prevention programme for burnout should target. In addition, hospitals could use assessment instruments to identify nurses who are prone to burnout and thus would benefit from additional support or stress reduction programmes.

Interpersonal behaviour in relation to burnout

Organisational and work-related challenges faced by midwives make them vulnerable to burnout, but individual factors, such as interpersonal behaviour, can also contribute. A study in eight hospitals in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium investigated the prevalence of burnout among Flemish midwives, assessed their interpersonal behaviour, and explored the relationship between interpersonal behaviour, burnout, job satisfaction and intention to leave. This article describes the study and reports the findings.