Personality Factors Associated with Burnout in the Nursing Profession during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: Occupational burnout in a pandemic situation occurs faster for some people than others. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between personality traits and occupational burnout in nursing professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted from February to April 2021. This was carried out on 299 nursing professionals who were taking care of COVID-19 cases. Occupational burnout was measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and personality variables were evaluated using the NEO fivefactor inventory. Results: Finally, 299 nurses with a mean age of 35.49 +/- 8.80 years participated in the study, of which 74.9 were women and 77.3 were married. The mean scores of emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal accomplishment (PA) subscales were 20.44 +/- 11.52, 8.75 +/- 4.10, and 27.66 +/- 5.92, respectively. High and medium DP and EE levels were reported in 75.2 and 54.9 of the nurses and high PA level was found in 87.6. There were significant differences in job satisfaction and work experience for all burnout subscales scores. DP and EE subscales had a positive relationship with neuroticism and a negative correlation with extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. The PA subscale showed a statistically significant positive relationship with extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Conclusions: The prevalence of burnout among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic was moderate to high. The five personality characteristics were significantly associated with burnout in nurses and have a key role in developing burnout syndrome.