FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF BURNOUT IN ONCOLOGY NURSING

The purpose of this study was to determine whether oncology nurses exp erience higher levels of burnout compared to nurses working in general hospitals, and to further identify the personal and environmental fac tors that contribute to the development of emotional exhaustion, deper sonalization and lack of personal accomplishment. Seven tools, measuri ng a selected set of demographic, psychological and occupational varia bles, were administered to 217 females nurses who worked in oncologica l hospitals and 226 nurses who worked in general hospitals in the area of Athens. Measures used in the study included the Maslach Burnout In ventory, the Hardiness Scale, the Ways of Coping Scale, the Life Style Scale, the Type A Behaviour Scale, a Job Stress Questionnaire and a G eneral Information Questionnaire. No statistically significant differe nce was revealed in the degree of burnout experienced by nurses in onc ology and those in general hospitals. Multiple linear regression analy sis suggested that personality characteristics seem to predict a great er percentage of the variability of the burnout experienced than occup ational and demographic variables. A sense of personal control over th e things that happen in life and the work environment was found to pro tect nurses from emotional exhaustion, depersonilization and lack of p ersonal accomplishment.