Influence of Socio-demographic Characteristics on Burnout among Nurses at Pumwani Maternity Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya

Aim: Burnout has detrimental effects on workers at both physical and psychological levels. This study sought to evaluate the influence of selected socio-demographic characteristics on burnout among nurses working in Pumwani Maternity Hospital.

Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. The study was conducted at Pumwani Maternity Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya between August 2015 and December 2016. Clustering, purposive and convenient sampling methods were used to select the sample size of 96 nurses. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic characteristics and Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey was used. Data acquired was processed using SPSS version 21, utilizing descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The study revealed that most (88.6 %) of the respondents were experiencing burn out. Gender, religion, age, marital status and education level had a moderate relationship with burn out. Gender and marital status of nurses had a positive correlation with burnout levels. Female and married nurses experienced higher burnout levels. Religion was found to have a significance relationship with burnout and that Christians experienced less burnout. There was a negative relationship between age and education level with burnout. Young nurses with lower educational qualifications experienced more burnout levels.

Conclusion: The study confirmed high burnout levels among nurses working in Pumwani Maternity Hospital. Socio-demographic characteristics play a moderating role on development of burnout among nurses and can serve as predictors of employee burnout. Determination of the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and burnout may aid the identification of high-risk groups as a critical step in developing effective preventive and alleviation strategies for this cadre of health care providers. This may help in development of coping strategies for burnout among nurses in maternity hospitals.