The relationships between burnout, general wellbeing, and psychological detachment with turnover intention in Chinese nurses: a cross-sectional study

Fengzhi Zhang; Chunhui Lin; Xiaoxue Li; Manman Li; Ruolin Jia; Xiaoli Guo; Hua Bai

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1216810

The relationships between burnout, general wellbeing, and psychological detachment with turnover intention in Chinese nurses: a cross-sectional study

Front Public Health. 2023 Jul 20:11:1216810. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1216810. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Fengzhi Zhang^#¹, Chunhui Lin^#¹, Xiaoxue Li², Manman Li², Ruolin Jia³, Xiaoli Guo⁴, Hua Bai⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nursing, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
² Department of Gynecology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
³ Department of Reproduction, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
⁴ Department of Administration Office, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
⁵ Department of Infection Control, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: It is critical to minimize nurse turnover to improve the quality of care and patient safety. In-depth investigation is required to better understand the factors related to nurses' turnover intentions.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the relationships between burnout, general wellbeing, and psychological detachment with turnover intention among nurses in China.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey using convenience sampling was conducted in one hospital in China between January 2023 and March 2023. A total of 536 nurses were surveyed using the General Wellbeing Schedule (GWB), the Maslach Burnout Inventory scale (MBI), the Psychological Detachment scale, and the Turnover Intention scale. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 statistical software. The chi-square test and binary logistic regression analysis were used to explore the factors related to turnover intention.

Results: Our data demonstrated that the turnover intention scores were 13 (10, 15.75), with 56% of nurses exhibiting a high level of turnover intention. Binary logistic regression analysis results indicated that being on a contract (OR = 4.385, 95% CI = 2.196-8.754), working in the pediatrics (OR = 2.392, 95% CI = 1.267-4.514) or obstetrics (OR = 2.423, 95% CI = 1.145-5.126) department, and experiencing burnout (OR = 1.024, 95% CI = 1.008-1.041) were associated with a heightened level of turnover intention. Conversely, organizational satisfaction (OR = 0.162, 95% CI = 0.033-0.787) and general wellbeing (OR = 0.967, 95% CI = 0.946-0.989) were identified as factors that hindered the intention to leave.

Conclusions: Findings from this study suggest that nurses were employed on a contract basis, working in pediatric or obstetric departments, expressing dissatisfaction with the organization, reporting low general wellbeing, and experiencing high levels of burnout that require special attention. The identification of these risk factors can inform targeted interventions and support programs aimed at improving the wellbeing and retention of nurses in these settings.

Keywords: burnout; general wellbeing; nursing; psychological detachment; turnover intention.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adaptation, Psychological*
Burnout, Professional* / epidemiology
Burnout, Professional* / psychology
Child
Cross-Sectional Studies
East Asian People
Health
Humans
Intention
Job Satisfaction
Nurses* / psychology
Object Attachment
Personnel Turnover*
Workplace

Grants and funding

The Medical Science and Technology Research Project of Henan Province, China [LHGJ20190335], provided support for this study.