Predictors of university nursing students burnout at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

• Published in: Nurse education today 2021-11, Vol.106, p.105070-105070, Article 105070
• Main Authors: Sveinsdóttir, Herdís, Flygenring, Birna Guðrún, Svavarsdóttir, Margrét Hrönn, Thorsteinsson, Hrund Scheving, Kristófersson, Gísli Kort, Bernharðsdóttir, Jóhanna, Svavarsdóttir, Erla Kolbrún
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Burnout; Burnout, Psychological; Career Change; College students; Coping; Coping strategies; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 pandemic; Cross-Sectional Studies; Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; Health status; Humans; Medical education; Mental health; Nursing; Nursing education; Nursing Students; Online Surveys; Pandemics; Physical Health; Quality of care; Response rates; SARS-CoV-2; Stress; Students; Students, Nursing; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teaching; Universities; Variability
• ISSN: 0260-6917; 1532-2793
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nedt.2021.105070

Little is known about the stress and burnout experienced by undergraduate and graduate nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Academic burnout among nursing students can have an impact on students' learning ability, health, and wellbeing and on the quality of care and intention to leave the profession post-graduation. Evaluate the predictors of nursing students' personal, academic, and collaboration-related burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cross-sectional two-site study. Icelandic universities offering nursing education. Graduate and undergraduate nursing students in Iceland (N = 1044) were asked to participate in the study, with a response rate of 32.7%. An online survey was used to evaluate the students' stress and burnout in spring 2020. The main findings show that 51% of the variability in the students' personal burnout was explained by their perceived stress, mental health, and perceived support. Furthermore, the students' perceived stress, support, and educational levels predicted 42% of the variability in their academic burnout. Burnout related to collaborating with fellow-students was explained by the nursing students' physical health and by their educational level, explaining 6% of the variability in fellow-students burnout. University administrators might consider adding academic support facilities into their undergraduate nursing programs and teaching their students healthy coping skills. •Nursing students who reported that their studies did not progress well experienced more personal and academic burnout•Nursing students should be encouraged to activate their support network during difficult times.•Nursing students are most vulnerable for experiencing burnout during the second part of their undergraduate education.