A comparative study of stress and burnout among staff caregivers in nursing homes and acute geriatric wards

• Published in: International journal of geriatric psychiatry 2003-01, Vol.18 (1), p.78-85
• Main Authors: Cocco, Ennio, Gatti, Monica, de Mendonça Lima, Carlos Augusto, Camus, Vincent
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; burnout; Burnout, Professional - epidemiology; Burnout, Professional - etiology; caregivers; Caregivers - psychology; Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry; Cross-Sectional Studies; elderly; Female; Geriatric Nursing - manpower; Geriatrics; Health Services for the Aged - manpower; Health staff related problems. Vocational training; Hospitals, General - manpower; Humans; Italy - epidemiology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Nursing Homes - manpower; Nursing Staff - psychology; Occupational Diseases - epidemiology; Occupational Diseases - etiology; Personnel, Hospital - psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Risk Factors; Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry; stress
• ISSN: 0885-6230; 1099-1166
• DOI: 10.1002/gps.800

Objective To compare levels of stress and burnout among staff caregivers in nursing homes and acute geriatric wards of general hospitals. Methods A cross‐sectional survey was conducted in three nursing homes (total of 522 beds, 270 caregivers) and nine geriatric sections of general hospitals (total of 371 beds, 280 caregivers). Staff caregivers were asked to answer a four‐part questionnaire made up of socio‐demographic data, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ‐12), the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Stressful Events Questionnaire (SEQ). Results 355 carers (172 from nursing homes, 183 from acute geriatric wards) answered the questionnaire (response rate 66%). Bivariate analysis reveals that general hospital carers show higher GHQ scores, higher MBI—Depersonalisation (DP) and Emotional Exhaustion (EE) sub‐scores and lower MBI—Personal Accomplishment sub‐scores. Stressful Events (as revealed by the SEQ) are more frequently reported by general hospital carers, particularly events related to patients' behavioural disorders. Multivariate analysis shows that general hospital work‐setting, professional role, female gender and patient/carer ratio are significant explanatory variables of a high MBI—EE sub‐score, while general work setting and disability are the best explanatory variables of a high MBI—DP sub‐score. Professional role and general hospital work‐setting are independent factors in a low MBI—Personal Accomplishment (PA) sub‐score. Conclusion These results appear to show that levels of stress and burnout among staff caregivers are moderate in acute geriatric wards, but significantly higher than in nursing homes. This suggests that increasing the rate of trained staff and improving staff support—for instance by the implementation of Consultation‐Liaison (C‐L) Psychiatry and/or continuing education programmes—could be needed mostly in acute geriatric wards. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.