Positive effect of Balint group on burnout and self-efficacy of head nurses in China: a randomized controlled trial

Qu Shan; Rainer Leonhart; Xie Zhijuan; Zheng Minjie; Shi Xinxin; Bai Xinzhu; Kong Xiangyan; Kurt Fritzsche

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1265976

Positive effect of Balint group on burnout and self-efficacy of head nurses in China: a randomized controlled trial

Front Psychiatry. 2024 Jan 8:14:1265976. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1265976. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Qu Shan^#¹, Rainer Leonhart^#², Xie Zhijuan¹, Zheng Minjie¹, Shi Xinxin¹, Bai Xinzhu³, Kong Xiangyan⁴, Kurt Fritzsche⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Psychology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
² Institute of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
³ Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
⁴ Department of Nursing, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
⁵ Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Burnout is common among nurses and can lead to negative outcomes of medical care. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of Balint groups to reduce burnout in head nurses in a Chinese hospital.

Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial with a pre- and post-test. A total of 80 head nurses were randomly assigned to either a Balint group (n = 40) or a control group (n = 40). Participants participated in Balint group for a period of 3 months. Participants in both groups completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey and the General Self-Efficacy Scale at the beginning and end of the study. Balint group members also completed the Group Climate Questionnaire-Short Form.

Results: In the Balint group, 33 participants attended all Balint groups, while the 40 participants in the control group had no intervention. Analysis of variance with repeated measures demonstrated a statistically significant difference on the Maslach Burnout Inventory subscale of sense of personal achievement (F = 9.598, p = 0.003) between the Balint and control groups. However, there were no significant differences between the groups on the subscales of emotional exhaustion (F = 0.110, p = 0.740) and depersonalization (F = 0.75, p = 0.387), and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (F = 0.709, p = 0.403).

Conclusions: Balint groups helped reduce burnout among head nurses in terms of personal achievement.

Keywords: Balint group; burnout; head nurses; patient relationships; self-efficacy.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Project was supported by Peking University People's Hospital Scientific Research Development Funds. The funds for this research were obtained from Peking University People's Hospital Fund (Project No.: RDJ2022-36). The funding agency provided financial support for the design and collection of the data, data analysis, and article publication.