Prevalence and correlates of burnout in nursing and midwifery students in Ghana

Abstract

Background/Aims Despite indications of extreme stress leading to burnout syndrome among healthcare students in Ghana, there is little evidence of this found in the literature. This study describes the prevalence of burnout, as well as the causes, risk factors and management strategies in place for coping with burnout syndrome among midwifery and nursing students in Ghana. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 135 midwifery and nursing students at the Pantang Nursing and Midwifery Training College. A questionnaire was used to obtain data on participants' demographic characteristics as well as emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment. Sources of academic and work-related stress were also reported. Descriptive data analysis and the chi-squared test was used to determine the effects of demographic characteristics on burnout. Results Students' experienced high levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation, with mean scores of 39.63±14.68 and 16.15±6.76 respectively. Female (74.1%), single (43.0%) and nonworking (71.1%) students reported high emotional exhaustion. Midwife trainees (57.8%) reported high levels of depersonalisation. Overall, low personal accomplishment was found in 39.9% of the students. Students between the age of 20–30 years (25.9%) as well as those who were single (25.9%) and female students (47.4%) most frequently experienced low personal accomplishment. Difficulty in understanding academic courses, a packed syllabus and long lectures were the major sources of academic stress, while an excessive workload and the influence of supervisors and those in charge as well as the distance involved in travelling to work were major causes of work stress. Conclusions Burnout among midwives and nurses manifested as high levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. Various sociodemographic characteristics were associated with high levels of burnout, depersonalisation and low accomplishment. Measures should be introduced to mitigate burnout among midwives and nurses during training. The curriculum needs to be reviewed, as high workload and a packed syllabus were key causes of stress. Providing recreational courses may help to mitigate burnout. Students should also be trained on coping strategies to reduce chronic stress.