Happiness and its Relationship with Job Burnout in Nurses of Educational Hospitals in Tabriz, Iran

Abstract

Background: Happiness is a positive feeling that is vital and significant to maintain health. Nurses<br />are working in difficult conditions which may heavily affect their level of happiness and ability to<br />provide care. Job burnout is a mental reaction against some persistent source of workplace stress. The<br />purpose of this study was to identify happiness and its relationship with job burnout in nurses working<br />at Tabriz's educational hospitals.<br />Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 344 nurses working at Tabriz's hospitals<br />in 2018. The subjects were selected by means of proportionate stratified random sampling. Data were<br />collected using three questionnaires (demographic information, job burnout with 22 items and three<br />subscales and Oxford happiness with 29 items) and analyzed in SPSS version16 using descriptive statistics.<br />Statistical tests such as Pearson correlation coefficient, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and multiple<br />linear regression analysis were used to analyze the data.<br />Results: The age range of the participants was 23–57 years with a mean of 35.9±7.5. The mean score of<br />happiness was 64.2±11.5, (score range 35 to 116), which suggests an average level of happiness among<br />the nurses. There was a negative correlation between happiness and total job burnout (r=-0.29, p <0.001).<br />This negative correlation remained significant (B=-0.15, p <0.001) even when nurses' perception of own<br />health status (B=-5.24, P=0.01), history of illness (B=-4.47, P=0.04), job position (B=-6.61, P=0.001),<br />and type of employment (B=3.56, P=0.03) as potential confounding factors were adjusted.<br />Conclusion: Considering the reverse relationship between job burnout and happiness, it is suggested<br />that managers try to improve the workplace by managing condition which could lead to job burnout,<br />and therefore use the results to increase the happiness of nurs.