Burnout Study of Clinical Nurses in Vietnam: Development of Job Burnout Model Based on Leiter and Maslach's Theory

Asian Nurs Res (Korean Soc Nurs Sci). 2018 Mar;12(1):42-49. doi: 10.1016/j.anr.2018.01.003. Epub 2018 Feb 8.

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to create a Vietnamese version of both the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) and Areas of Worklife Scale (AWS) to assess the burnout state of Vietnamese clinical nurses and to develop a causal model of burnout of clinical nurses.

Methods: We conducted a descriptive design using a cross-sectional survey. The questionnaire was hand divided directly by nursing departments to 500 clinical nurses in three hospitals. Vietnamese MBI-GS and AWS were then examined for reliability and validity. We used the revised exhaustion +1 burnout classification to access burnout state. We performed path analysis to develop a Vietnamese causal model based on the original model by Leiter and Maslach's theory.

Results: We found that both scales were reliable and valid for assessing burnout. Among nurse participants, the percentage of severe burnout was 0.7% and burnout was 15.8%, and 17.2% of nurses were exhausted. The best predictor of burnout was "on-duty work schedule" that clinical nurses have to work for 24 hours. In the causal model, we also found similarity and difference pathways in comparison with the original model.

Conclusion: Vietnamese MBI-GS and AWS were applicable to research on occupational stress. Nearly one-fifth of Vietnamese clinical nurses were working in burnout state. The causal model suggested a range of factors resulting in burnout, and it is necessary to consider the specific solution to prevent burnout problem.

Keywords: Vietnam; burnout; nurses.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Burnout, Professional / etiology*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Educational Status
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Marital Status
  • Middle Aged
  • Nurses / psychology*
  • Nursing Staff, Hospital / psychology
  • Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / statistics & numerical data
  • Psychometrics
  • Vietnam
  • Young Adult