Burnout Syndrome and Anxiety Disorders among Hospital Nurses in a Tertiary Health Center in Nigeria

Most studies on mental health at workplaces have focused mainly on depression as a frequent cause of occupational disability among nurses. This study aimed at determining the prevalence of burnout syndrome and anxiety disorders and their associated psychosocial factors among nurses. The study was conducted among nurses at the Federal Medical Centre Abeokuta, southwestern Nigeria. One hundred and seventy-five nurses were assessed in two stages. The first stage involved using a Socio-demographic Questionnaire, the 22-item Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and GHQ-12. The second stage involved interviewing nurses with Structured Clinical Interview Schedule for DSM IV Axis I Disorder (SCID) Anxiety module. The prevalence rates of burnout syndrome subscales are 51.3% for emotional exhaustion, 84.7% for depersonalization, and 24.5% for personal achievement while that for GAD was 4%. Socio-demographic and work-related variables significantly associated with burnout syndromes were younger age (χ2=7.24, p=0.027), low educational achievement (χ2=8.01, p=0.005), stressful job perception (χ2=7.75, p=0.005), junior nursing cadre (χ2=9.18, p=0.01), and having a great deal of involvement in report writing. These findings draw attention to the need for holistic approach to the management of burnout and GAD among health care professionals in addition to developing effective prevention strategies to protect their mental well-being and improve their effectiveness.