Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to analyze the actual conditions of burnout in Japanese midwives working in hospitals.
Methods
We conducted a quantitative cross-sectional survey by self-reported questionnaire in 839 midwives working in the obstetric departments of 72 hospitals in Japan. Burnout was assessed by Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). In order to determine the relationship between condition and background, the following factors were investigated: socio-demographics, characteristics of midwife work experience, workload, workplace features, job satisfaction, intention to pursue their career, and personal assessment of working environment. ANOVA, t-test and correlation analyses were conducted to identify relationships between MBI subscales and the above-mentioned factors.
Results
The response rate was 87.2%. In order to conduct statistical analysis, appropriate data from 708 respondents were used. Average age was 35.2 years. The results of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and sense of reduced personal accomplishment, which were MBI subscales, were 15.67±4.50, 11.89±4.32 and 20.61±4.30, respectively. Marriage status, maternity care experience, working hours per day, overtime work per month and paid holiday status, etc., had significant relationships to both exhaustion and depersonalization. Job status and shift system were significantly related to sense of reduced personal accomplishment. Significant negative correlations were found between job satisfaction and sense of reduced personal accomplishment. Another negative correlation was found between intention to pursue and both emotional exhaustion and sense of reduced personal accomplishment.
Conclusion
In comparison with the results of previous studies examining nurse burnout, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were at the same level or lower. With regard to sense of reduced personal accomplishment, it was lower in this study when compared to previous results. Although causality cannot be confirmed, it was shown that there are relationships between burnout and both job satisfaction and intention to pursue. The implications for medical practice in hospitals include the placing of health care professionals on-site to treat midwives, the hiring of more midwives on staff and the on-going post-graduate education of midwives with limited experience.
