Prevalence of occupational burnout: a cross-section analysis across hospital nursing professionals

S. Belisha (Hoti); I. Zekja; O. Petri; B. Brati (Kika); E. Fresku; E. Ali; J. Kraja; Gj. Koja; E. Abazaj

doi:10.26641/2307-0404.2026.1.356869

Автор(и)

S. Belisha (Hoti) University of Shkodra “Luigj Gurakuqi”, April 2 sq., 24, Shkoder, Albania, Албанія https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2050-705X
I. Zekja University of Medicine, Tirana, “Dibrës” str., 371, Tirana, 1005, Albania, Албанія https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8413-3657
O. Petri University of Tirana, “Martyrs of the Nation” boulev., Sheshi “Mother Teresa”, Tirana, 1000, Albania, Албанія https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5404-7758
B. Brati (Kika) Institute of Public Health, Aleksander Moisiu str., 80, Tirana, 1000, Albania, Албанія https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7952-3853
E. Fresku University of Shkodra “Luigj Gurakuqi”, April 2 sq., 24, Shkoder, Albania, Албанія https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1333-8986
E. Ali University of Medicine, Tirana, “Dibrës” str., 371, Tirana, 1005; Institute of Public Health, Aleksander Moisiu str., 80, Tirana, 1000, Albania, Албанія https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8509-4891
J. Kraja University of Shkodra “Luigj Gurakuqi”, April 2 sq., 24, Shkoder, Albania, Албанія https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6694-394X
Gj. Koja Institute of Public Health, Aleksander Moisiu str., 80, Tirana, 1000; University of Elbasan “Aleksander Xhuvani”, Ismail Zyma str., Elbasan, 3000, Albania, Албанія https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3497-1476
E. Abazaj University of Medicine, Tirana, “Dibrës” str., 371, Tirana, 1005; Institute of Public Health, Aleksander Moisiu str., 80, Tirana, 1000, Albania, Албанія https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2386-4605

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26641/2307-0404.2026.1.356869

Ключові слова:

nursing staff, burnout professional, predisposing factor, syndrome, sociodemographic factors, work-related factors

Анотація

This study aims to investigate the prevalence of occupational burnout among nursing professionals at Shkodra Regional Hospital and identify factors contributing to it. Specifically, the objectives include measuring the burnout rate within this population and analysing demographic and occupational factors that affect burnout levels. This cross-sectional, observational and analytical study used a semi-standardised questionnaire distributed to healthcare professionals over 7 months (September 2024 – March 2025) at the Shkodra Regional Hospital, Albania. The Excel file obtained from Microsoft software underwent statistical processing in SPSS version 26.0 software. The Maslach Burnout Inventory test was subjected to an evaluation of its reliability and consistency with the Cronbach alpha test. The alpha value was found to be 0.79. The level of significance adopted was p<0.05. The mean age among 131 nurses was 35.35±10.37, with a minimum to maximum age of 18-64 years old. Almost 38.2% of the participants belong to the 26-35 age group, which is considered to be a relatively young demographic one. Burnout prevalence turned to be relatively high – 68.9% for 95% CI (59.4-75.3), where 22.3% exhibited high levels of emotional exhaustion, 45.4% of cases high depersonalisation and low personal accomplishment domen in 92.3%. The phenomenon of depersonalization, in combination with two other areas, is worthy of consideration, with a p-value was found to be less than 0.05. It is noteworthy that the majority of these workers, 62.6%, are engaged in shift work with a frequency of 6-10 days per month. Burnout syndrome presented a correlation with sociodemographic factors (marital status, and monthly income) as well as some of the work-related factors (shift work system, weekly working hours, days on shift, work experience, etc). The findings of this study give us a relatively high prevalence of burnout syndrome among the participants (68.9%). We recommend rapid intervention with different policies or strategies that should improve the reduction of burnout among nursing staff. In order to facilitate recovery, it is essential to address burnout, recognise signs of excessive physical fatigue, seek support from colleagues and therapists, set boundaries, and prioritise self-care.

Посилання

Freudenberger HJ. Staff Burn-Out. Journal of Social Issues. 1974;30(1):159-65. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1974.tb00706.x

Maslach C. Burned out. Human Behavior. [Internet]. 1976 [cited 2025 Aug 23];59:16-22. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263847499_Burned-Out

Maslach C, Jackson SE. The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Psychology. 1981;2(2):99-113. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/job.4030020205

Barragán Martín AB, Molero Jurado MDM, Pérez-Fuentes MDC, Simón Márquez MDM, Sisto M, Gáz-quez Linares JJ. Published research on burnout in nursing in Spain in the last decade: bibliometric analysis. Healthcare (Basel). 2020 Nov 12;8(4):478. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8040478

Nagarajan R, Ramachandran P, Dilipkumar R, Kaur P. Global estimate of burnout among the public health workforce: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Human Resources for Health. 2024;22:30. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-024-00917-w

World Health Organization. Burn-out an "occupational phenomenon": International Classification of Diseases [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2025 Aug 23]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-outan-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases

Belisha S, Zekja I, Abazaj E, Dibra V. Prevalence and associated risk factors for occupational burnout among healthcare personnel: a systematic review. Albanian Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery. 2025;9(2):1852-62. doi: https://doi.org/10.32391/ajtes.v9i2.448

Ramasaco L, Abazaj E, Brati B. Mental Health Burden among Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Time in Albania. ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry. 2023;24(1);1-13. doi: https://doi.org/10.54615/2231-7805.47289

Butler S. Understanding burnout in nurses: Identification and coping strategies. British Journal of Nursing. 2025;34(4):220-4. doi: https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2024.0244

Petersen J, Wendsche J, Melzer M. Nurses’ emotional exhaustion: Prevalence, psychosocial risk factors and association to sick leave depending on care setting: a quantitative secondary analysis. J Adv Nurs. 2023;79(1):182-93. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15471

Kelly L. Burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma in nurses: recognising the occupational phenomenon and personal consequences of caregiving. Crit Care Nurs Q. 2020;43(1):73-80. doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000293

Lwiza AF, Lugazia ER. Burnout and associated factors among healthcare workers in acute care settings at a tertiary teaching hospital in Tanzania: An analytical cross-sectional study. Health science reports. 2023;6:e1256. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.1256

World Economic Forum. Wellbeing and Mental Health. What causes us to burnout at work? [Internet]. 2019 Oct 10 [cited 2025 Aug 23]. Available from: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2019/10/burnout-mental-health-pandemic/

Woo T, Ho R, Tang A, Tam W. Global prevalence of burnout symptoms among nurses: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Psychiatr Res. 2020;123:9-20. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.12.015

Merkuri L, Paja E, Hoxhallari K. Burnout among nursing staff: an overview of causes, consequences, and management strategies. MEDICUS. 2025;9(1):38-45. doi: https://doi.org/10.58944/ycqo2677

Abdo SAM, El-Sallamy RM, El-Sherbiny AAM, Kabbash IA. Burnout among physicians and nursing staff working in the emergency hospital of Tanta University, Egypt. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal La Revue de Santé de la Méditerranée orientale. 2015;21(12):906-15. doi: https://doi.org/10.26719/2015.21.12.906

Suner-Soler R, Grau-Martína A, Flichtentrei D, Prats M, Braga F, Font-Mayolas S, et al. The consequences of burnout syndrome among healthcare professionals in Spain and Spanish speaking Latin American countries. Burnout Res. 2014;1:82-89. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.burn.2014.07.004

Chou LP, Li CY, Hu SC. Job stress and burnout in hospital employees: comparisons of different medical professions in a Regional hospital in Taiwan. BMJ Open. 2014;4:e004185.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2013-004185

Schuttle N, Toppinen S, Kalimo R, Schaufeli W. The factorial validity of the Maslach Burnout Inventory across oc cupational groups and nations. J Occup Organ Psychol. 2000;73:53-66. doi: https://doi.org/10.1348/096317900166877

Heinen MM, van Achterberg T, Schwendimann R, Zander B, Matthews A, Kózka M, et al. Nurses' intention to leave their profession: a cross sectional observational study in 10 European countries. Int J Nurs Stud. 2013;50:174-84. doi: https://10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2012.09.019

Mathkour A, Alzahrani AH, Narapureddy BR, Alqahtani FM, Alshehri AM, Althagafi MA, et al. Preva-lence and risk factors of burnout among employees at COVID-19 vaccination centers: A cross sectional study. PloS One. 2025;20(5):e0322803. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0322803

Zhang X, Wang J, Hao Y, Wu K, Jiao M, Liang L, et al. Prevalence and Factors associated with burnout of frontline healthcare workers in fighting against the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from China. Front Psychol. 2021;12:680614. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.680614

Mohamed NA, Mohamed YA, Haji Mohamud RY, Gabow AA. Evaluation of the prevalence and risk factors of burnout syndrome among healthcare workers: A cross-sectional study. World J Psychiatry. 2025;15(2):98496. doi: https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v15.i2.98496

Lee YL, Dai JW, Li XW, et al. Prevalence and the associated factors of burnout among the critical healthcare professionals during the post-pandemic era: a multi-institutional survey in Taiwan with a systematic review of the Asian literatures. BMC Public Health. 2024;24:3480. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-21084-6

Anbesaw T, Zenebe Y, Abebe M, Tegafaw T. Burnout Syndrome and Associated Factors Among Health Care Professionals Working in Dessie Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Dessie, Ethiopia. Sage Open. 2023;13(4):1-9. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231215147

Dechasa DB, Worku T, Baraki N, Merga BT, As-faw H. Burnout and associated factors among nurses working in public hospitals of Harari region and Dire Dawa administration, eastern Ethiopia. A cross sectional study. PloS One. 2021;16:e0258224. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258224

Chirico F, Afolabi AA, Ilesanmi OS, Nucera G, Ferrari Ge, Sacco A, et al. Prevalence, risk factors and prevention of burnout syndrome among healthcare workers: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Journal of Health and Social Sciences. 2021;6(4):465-91. doi: https://doi.org/10.19204/2021/prvl3

Merces MCD, Coelho JMF, Lua I, Silva DSE, Gomes AMT, Erdmann AL, et al. Prevalence and factors associated with burnout syndrome among primary health care nursing professionals: a cross sectional study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(2):474. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17020474