Dispositional Optimism, Burnout and Their Relationship with Self-Reported Health Status among Nurses Working in Long-Term Healthcare Centers

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health 2020-07, Vol.17 (14), p.4918
• Main Authors: Malagón-Aguilera, Maria Carmen, Suñer-Soler, Rosa, Bonmatí-Tomas, Anna, Bosch-Farré, Cristina, Gelabert-Viella, Sandra, Fontova-Almató, Aurora, Grau-Martín, Armand, Juvinyà-Canal, Dolors
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bivariate analysis; Burnout; Chronic illnesses; Emotions; Employment; Exhaustion; Geriatrics; Health care; Levels; Mental health; Nurses; Older people; Optimism; Perceptions; Polls & surveys; Professionals; Regression analysis; Social interactions; Stress; Studies
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17144918

The mental health of nurses working in long-term healthcare centers is affected by the care they provide to older people with major chronic diseases and comorbidity and this in turn affects the quality of that care. The aim of the study was to investigate dispositional optimism, burnout and self-reported health among nurses working in long-term healthcare centers. A descriptive, cross-sectional survey design was used. Survey questionnaires were distributed in 11 long-term health care centers (n = 156) in Catalonia (Spain). The instruments used were LOT-R (dispositional optimism), MBI (burnout) and EuroQol EQ-5D (self-reported health). Bivariate analyses and multivariate linear regression models were used. Self-reported health correlated directly with dispositional optimism and inversely with emotional exhaustion and cynicism. Better perceived health was independently associated with greater dispositional optimism and social support, lower levels of emotional exhaustion level and the absence of burnout. Dispositional optimism in nurses is associated with a greater perception of health and low levels of emotional exhaustion.