The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context (2019) 11(1) 33-40

The European Journal of Psychology

Applied to Legal Context
h t t p : / / j o u r n a l s. c o p m a d r i d. o r g / e j p a l c

Analysis of Burnout Predictors in Nursing: Risk and Protective

Psychological Factors
María del Carmen Pérez-Fuentesa, María del Mar Molero-Juradoa, José J. Gázquez-Linaresb,
and María del Mar Simón-Márqueza
a
University of Almería, Spain; bUniversidad Autónoma de Chile, Chile

ARTICLE INFO A B S T R A C T

Article history: Burnout has become a subject of interest in the field of healthcare, where nursing is one of the most vulnerable
Received 8 May 2018 professions. The aim of this paper is to analyze the relationship and involvement of sociodemographic and job variables,
Accepted 10 October 2018 as well as the intervention of certain emotional intelligence, perceived social support, and general self-efficacy factors in
the development of burnout among nursing professionals. The sample was made up of 1,307 participants with a mean
age of 32.03 years (SD = 6.54). An ad hoc questionnaire, the Brief Burnout Questionnaire, the Brief Emotional Intelligence
Keywords:
Inventory for Adults, the Brief Form of the Perceived Social Support Questionnaire, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale
Burnout
were used. Continuous work experience, attending to a larger number of patients, and male sex are the variables
Nursing
Emotional intelligence related to higher burnout scores. The logistic regression model provides data which back the involvement of certain
Self-efficacy sociodemographic (sex), work (employment situation and number of users attended to), perceived social support, and
Social support some elements of emotional intelligence (interpersonal, mood, and stress management) variables in burnout. The proposal
of a model in which personal and employment variables are included is emphasized, which will have a repercussion on
the improvement of a preventive intervention and, in turn, optimize the quality of healthcare services.

Análisis de los predictores del burnout en enfermería: factores psicológicos de

riesgo y protección

R E S U M E N
Palabras clave:
El burnout se presenta en los últimos años como un tema de interés en el ámbito de la salud, siendo el colectivo de enfer-
Burnout
Enfermería mería uno de los más vulnerables por su interacción con el paciente y la necesidad de participar en equipos coordinados. El
Inteligencia emocional objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la relación e implicación de variables sociodemográficas y variables propias del desem-
Autoeficacia peño laboral, así como la intervención de determinados factores de la inteligencia emocional, el apoyo social percibido y la
Apoyo social autoeficacia general en el desarrollo del burnout en profesionales de enfermería. La muestra fue de 1,307 sujetos con una
media de edad de 32.03 años (DT = 6.54). Para la recogida de datos sociodemográficos se elaboró un cuestionario ad hoc, se
empleó el Cuestionario Breve de Burnout, el Inventario de Inteligencia Emocional Reducido para Mayores, el Cuestionario
Breve de Apoyo Social Percibido y la Escala de Autoeficacia General. Una experiencia laboral continuada, con mayor número
de pacientes atendidos y pertenecer al sexo masculino son variables que se relacionan con mayores puntuaciones en bur-
nout. Hay una implicación de determinadas variables sociodemográficas (sexo), laborales (situación laboral y número de
usuarios atendidos), el apoyo social percibido y algunos de los elementos de la inteligencia emocional (interpersonal, estado
de ánimo y manejo del estrés) en la presencia o no de burnout. Es destacable la propuesta de un modelo en el que se incluyen
variables personales y laborales, lo que repercutirá en la mejora de la intervención preventiva y optimizará la calidad en la
atención de los servicios sanitarios.

Cite this article as: Pérez-Fuentes, M. C., Molero-Jurado, M. M., Gázquez-Linares, J. J., and Simón-Márquez, M. M. (2019). Analysis of burnout predictors in nursing: Risk and protective
psychological factors. The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 11, 33-40. https://doi.org/10.5093/ejpalc2018a13

Correspondence: sej473@ual.es (M. M. Molero-Jurado).

ISSN: 1889-1861/© 2018 Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
34 M. C. Pérez-Fuentes et al. / The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context (2019) 11(1) 33-40

In recent years, the stress caused by professional burnout has become Therefore, concerning sex in the analysis of burnout differences,
a subject of concern in the fields of occupational health and research some studies show higher scores in women (Garrosa et al., 2008),
which is coherent with related fields of knowledge. This is reflected by other studies show higher scores in men (Khaghanizadeh, Sirati, Abdi,
the International Labor Organization (ILO, 2016), whose 2016 report & Kaviani, 2008), while finally other studies show no differences at
defined as a public health issue, and therefore, a collective challenge. all (Losa, Vallejo, & Fuentes, 2010). Concerning age, some authors,
Since burnout began to be the subject of discussion in the seventies, such as Alimoglu and Donmez (2005), have not identified a direct
there has been a growing interest in it (Carlin & Garcés, 2010; Schaufeli, association with development of the burnout syndrome.
Leiter, & Maslach, 2009), especially among professionals who work in With regard to the employment situation, specifically job
human services, such as healthcare (Alexandrova-Karamanova et al., stability, healthcare personnel with a contract for a specific period
2016; de Paiva, Canário, de Paiva, & Gonçalves, 2017; Navarro-González, were found by Ortega, Ortiz, and Coronel (2007) to have a higher
Ayechu-Díaz, & Huarte-Labiano, 2015; Olvera-Islas, Téllez-Villagra, & level of burnout. However, in other studies, such as the one by
González-Pedraza, 2015). Among the jobs related to healthcare, nursing Fernández-Sánchez, Juárez-García, Arias-Galicia, and González-
is one of the most vulnerable, partly due to the close interaction with Zermeño (2010), more evidence of the syndrome was found
patients and the frequent need to work in coordinated teams (Collet et in staff with permanent contracts than in temporary workers.
al., 2018; Vives, Orte, & Sánchez, 2016). The authors explained these differences based on a higher
People affected by burnout generally coincide in describing a degree of responsibility of fixed staff who therefore respond to
generalized state of emotional fatigue, which is often manifested higher demand by patients. More recently, Gómez-Urquiza et al.
by a feeling of exhaustion, apathy, and loss of interest in the job (2017), based on a review of the literature, found that healthcare
(Seguel & Valenzuela, 2014; Weinberg & Creed, 2000), as also professionals with a fixed contract showed the highest levels of
occurs in other fields, such as caregiving (Pérez-Fuentes, Gázquez, emotional exhaustion, which could also be related to overwork,
Ruiz, & Molero, 2017). among other factors.
Many risk factors have been identified in the literature on the
subject. Sociodemographic variables (García & Herrero, 2008; Garrosa, The Role of Emotional Intelligence, Perceived Social Support,
Moreno-Jiménez, Liang, & González, 2008), characteristics of the and General Self-efficacy in Developing Burnout in Nursing
work itself, and/or the position held (Nogueira et al., 2018) have been
studied in different disciplines and contexts (Martos et al., 2018). For Görgens-Ekermans and Brand (2012) in a sample of nurses found
example, overwork along with short deadlines could trigger burnout that high levels of EI, especially with regard to emotion regulation in
(Portoghese, Galletta, Coppola, Finco, & Campagna, 2014). stress management, was significantly related to decreased exhaustion
Social support (whether from fellow workers or superiors) has been in chronic stress. Along the same line, Hong and Lee (2016) identified
identified as one of the variables related to burnout, as lack of social mediation of emotional intelligence between emotional labor and
support has been related to its presence (Avendaño, Bustos, Espinoza, burnout in nursing personnel. In recent studies in other populations
García, & Pierart, 2009), while high scores in social support, cognitive (Morales, 2017), emotional intelligence has been discussed, among other
empathy, and self-esteem, as well as high means in affective empathy factors, as a starting point in developing coping strategies for daily stress.
with subjects, frame a profile in which there is less burnout (Molero, The study of the relationship between perceived social support and
et al., 2018). Along this line, Leal-Costa, Díaz-Agea, Tirado-González, burnout is another major research topic (Fradelos et al., 2014). Indeed,
Rodríguez-Marín, and van-der Hofstadt (2015) found that the presence inapropriate or unexistant social support can lead to an ailment,
of communication skills in healthcare professionals was a point in favor particularly burnout (Aranda, Pando, & Pérez, 2004). Similarly, social
of preventing burnout. The role of emotions in communication is also support constitutes one of the most relevant personal resources in
well-known, but working in services goes one step further by relating determining the wellbeing and quality of life of nursing personnel
them to job stress or the burnout syndrome (Nespereira-Campuzano (Arrogante, Pérez-García, & Aparicio-Zaldívar, 2016; Hatamipour,
& Vázquez-Campo, 2017). The discussion of the emotional intelligence Hoveida, Rahimaghaee, Babaeiamiri, & Ashoori, 2017).
construct concerns the capacity for understanding one’s own emotional Thus, providing social support in relationships at work and outside
states (and those of others), even their management and expression in of work could have a positive effect on health and wellbeing as an
the field of healthcare work (Bajo & González, 2014). aid to coping successfully with the burnout syndrome (Scheurer,
Therefore, and going back to the definition of burnout itself Choudhry, Swanton, Matlin, & Shrank, 2012; Stevens et al., 2013).
as an inadequate response to emotional stress, whose main The role of social support in reducing emotional exhaustion is more
characteristics refer to exhaustion, a distant attitude in relations evident in professionals in long-term nursing who are subjected to
with others and feelings of ineffectiveness, the involvement of high levels of stress (Woodhead, Northrop, & Edelstein, 2016).
emotional intelligence (Landa, Berrios-Martos, López-Zafra, & In the study carried out by Kim (2009), it was intended to analyze
Aguilar, 2006), perceived self-efficacy (Yang, 2011), and exposure the role of self-efficacy and social support in emotional functioning
to non-physical violence (Llor-Esteban, Sánchez-Muñoz, Ruiz- and burnout in a sample of hospital nurses. The results showed that
Hernández, & Jiménez-Barbero, 2017; López-García, Ruiz-Hernández, social support was an important predictor of emotional performance
Llor-Zaragoza, Llor-Zaragoza, & Jiménez-Barbero, 2018) in the and, therefore, of exhaustion, while self-efficacy does not seem to
syndrome’s development is clear. be a significant predictor. In recent studies, positive relationships
have been found between general self-efficacy and emotional
Sociodemographic/Professional Variables and Burnout intelligence (Gharetepeh, Safari, Pashaei, Razaei, & Bagher, 2015) and
also with perceived social support (Simón et al., 2017) in students
The literature on sex differences in exhaustion has produced of different health degrees/diplomas. The positive relationship
inconsistent results with respect to the strength and direction of between self-efficacy and emotional intelligence and the benefits to
this relationship. In fact, data show a tendency which questions the communication skills improvement was also confirmed in samples of
generalized idea that women show a higher risk of burnout than nursing professionals (Zhu, Chen, Shi, Liang, & Liu, 2016).
men. This belief is explained in part by the use of general burnout The general objective of this study was to analyze the involvement
measures, since they are highly consistent with its specific dimension of sociodemographic and job variables, along with some emotional
of emotional exhaustion, where women seem to score somewhat intelligence factors, perceived social support, and self-efficacy in the
higher (Purvanova & Muros, 2010). development of burnout in nursing practitioners.
 Psychological Factors on Burnout 35

Specifically, based on the bibliography reviewed on the subject, found a Cronbach’s alpha reliability for the scale of .65. In this
the following hypotheses were posed: (1) burnout correlates study, the alpha was .77.
negatively with emotional intelligence factors, perceived self- General Self-Efficacy Scale (Baessler & Schwarzer, 1996). This
efficacy, and social support, (2) sex differences are significant in scale consists of ten items with a four-point Likert-type response
burnout, (3) variables related to job performance, such as type of format and evaluates a person’s perception of his/her own personal
contract and number of users assisted per day, cause differences competence for effectively managing different stressful situations.
in burnout, (4) social support and the dimensions of emotional Sanjuán, Pérez, and Bermúdez (2000) analyzed the scale’s reliability,
intelligence act as protective factors against the probability of finding a Cronbach’s alpha of .87. In our case, calculation of internal
suffering from burnout, and (5) perceived self-efficacy acts as a consistency of the scale found an alpha of .92.
mediator in the effect of social support on burnout.
Procedure
Method
Before collecting the data, participants were guaranteed
Participants compliance with the standards of information, confidentiality,
and ethical data processing. The questionnaires were administered
The original sample consisted of 1,601 nurses in Andalucía (Spain), on a Web platform which enabled participants to fill them out
randomly selected from different health centers, of whom those online. To control random answers and incongruence, a series of
actively employed at the time data were acquired were selected. The control questions were included for their detection, in which case
final study sample was made up of 1,307 participants, of whom 67.1% they were then discarded from the study sample. The study was
(n = 877) held temporary jobs and the remaining 32.9% (n = 430) had approved by the Bioethics Committee of the University of Almeria
permanent contracts. (Spain).
The mean participants’ age was 32.03 years (SD = 6.54), ranging
from 22 to 60. Of the total sample, 84.5% (n = 1,104) were women Data Analysis
and 15.5% (n = 203) were men, with a mean age of 32.03 years (SD
= 6.51) and 32.01 years (SD = 6.71), respectively. In this cross-sectional descriptive study, correlational analyses
were performed to explore the relationship between continuous
Instruments quantitative variables, while student’s ts and ANOVAs were performed
with categorical variables.
An ad hoc questionnaire was prepared to acquire the Then a binary logistic regression was performed using the
sociodemographic data (age, sex, marital status, and degree) and enter method. To do this, the dependent variable (burnout) was
to compile information on their profession and employment: years dichotomized taking into consideration the authors’ proposal for
of experience, employment status (permanent or temporary), diagnosis of burnout, with a cutoff point at 25 points. Thus, with over
work shifts (rotating, 12 hours or more, only nights, and morning/ 25 points the person could be considered affected by the syndrome
afternoon), and number of users attended to in a workday. (Moreno et al., 1997). The predictor variables used were sex,
Cuestionario Breve de Burnout [Brief Burnout Questionnaire, employment situation (permanent or temporary), number of users
CBB] (Moreno, Bustos, Matallana, & Miralles, 1997). This measure attended to during a workday, emotional intelligence (intrapersonal,
consists of 21 items rated on a five-point Likert-type response scale, interpersonal, stress management, adaptability, and mood), general
which evaluates background, elements, and consequences of the self-efficacy, and perceived social support. Originally, variables such
syndrome. Its purpose is to acquire a global assessment of burnout as age, years of work experience, and type of shift worked (rotating,
and its antecedents and consequences, coinciding with the three 24 hours, nights only, morning/afternoon) were also included. In this
blocks the elements on the questionnaire are organized in. The block case, dummy variables were created because it was a polytomous
comprised of the three syndrome factors in the model presented by categorical variable. These two variables, along with the above
Maslach and Jackson (1981) is of interest to us here. The instrument’s variables were proposed as possible predictors of burnout in a logistic
reliability for the study sample, specifically the factor which evaluates regression using the forward Wald method, which then excluded
general burnout, was α = .78. them from the model. Finally, a nonlinear predictive CHAID (Chi-
Inventario de Inteligencia Emocional Reducido para Mayores square Automatic Interaction Detector) regression and classification
[Brief Emotional Intelligence Inventory for Adults, EQ i 20M] (Pérez- tree was constructed. All analyses were done using SPSS ver. 23.0
Fuentes, Gázquez, Mercader, & Molero, 2014) validated and scaled statistical software for Windows.
by the authors for an adult Spanish population, as adapted from the Finally, to test the mediating effect of the perceived self-efficacy
Emotional Intelligence Inventory: Young Version (EQ-i-YV) by Bar-On variable, a simple mediation analysis was performed. The Preacher
and Parker (2000) to adults. It consists of 20 items with four answer and Hayes’ (2004) SPSS macro for mediation effects was used to
choices rated on a Likert-type scale. It is structured in five factors: compute this model. In addition, bootstrapping was applied with
Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Stress management, Adaptability, and coefficients estimated from 5,000 bootstrap samples.
Mood. Cronbach’s alpha for this study was .85 for the total items, and
for each of the scales: .91 on Intrapersonal, .77 on Interpersonal, .80 Results
on Stress management, .83 on Adaptability, and .89 on Mood.
Cuestionario Breve de Apoyo Social Percibido [Brief Perceived Burnout, Sociodemographic Variables, and Job
Social Support Questionnaire, CASPE] (Calvo & Díaz, 2004) was Characteristics
developed to study the effect of social support on health, quality
of life, and general satisfaction. It consists of nine items (eight First, a correlation analysis was used to check the relationships
of them with four-point Likert-type response scales and one yes/ between the burnout scores and the continuous quantitative variables.
no). The CASPE evaluates quantitative and qualitative aspects of No relationship between burnout and age (r = -.02, p = .32) was
family, friend, and partner relationships. It is possible to score observed, although there was a positive correlation with the number
from 9 to 35 points, where the higher the score, the more the of users attended to during the workday (r = .12, p < .001). Years of
perceived social support. The authors, in a geriatric population, work experience had no correlation with burnout (r = .03, p = .16).
36 M. C. Pérez-Fuentes et al. / The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context (2019) 11(1) 33-40

Table 1. Correlations between Burnout and Emotional Intelligence, Self-efficacy, and Social Support Variables
EQ-i-20M EAG CASPE
CBB Stress
Intrapersonal Interpersonal Adaptability Mood Self-efficacy Social support
management
Burnout -.26* -.26* -.36* -.22* -.34* -.26* -.31*
*p < .001.

Another of the variables related to the work context originally a) The risk of burnout is higher in men with permanent
considered was the type of work shift (rotating, 24 hours, nights employment.
only, morning/afternoon), but when ANOVA was applied there
b) There is a higher likelihood of risk of burnout in professionals
were no statistically significant differences in the groups (F =
who attend to a larger number of users during the workday.
.28, p = .83). On the contrary, for the employment situation it
was observed that the group of professionals with a permanent c) Perceived social support acts as a protective factor against the
contract (M = 21.07, SD = 5.67) scored significantly higher in probability of suffering from burnout. Thus, subjects who had
burnout (t = -4.52, p < .001) than those with a temporary contract the highest mean scores in this construct had a lower risk of
(M = 19.61, SD = .17). developing the syndrome.
Finally, by sex, statistically significant differences were found in
d) Of the emotional intelligence elements, the interpersonal
burnout scores (t = 4.21, p < .001), where men (M = 21.68, SD = 5.93)
scored higher than women (M = 19.80, SD = 5.19). factor, stress management, and mood (protective effect) were
significant factors in the logistic equation.
Burnout and Relationships with Emotional Intelligence, Self- An overall model fit, χ2 = 204.11, df = 10, p < .001, was observed,
efficacy, and Perceived Social Support Variables as confirmed by the Hosmer-Lemeshow test, χ2 = 9.75, df = 8, p = .28.
Similarly, based on the case classification table, the likelihood of the
As shown in Table 1, the burnout syndrome score is significantly
logistic function being right is 82.2%, with a false positive rate of 0.03
related negatively with all the emotional intelligence factors
and false negatives of 0.19.
(Intrapersonal: r = -.26, p < .001; Interpersonal: r = -.26, p < .001;
Adaptability: r = -.22, p < .001; Stress management: r = -.36, p < .001; As observed in the decision tree (Figure 1), stress management
Mood: r = -.34, p < .001). is the best predictor of burnout. Participants with medium-to-high
In addition, both self-efficacy (r = -.26, p < .001) and perceived stress management, low interpersonal skill levels, and perceived
social support (r = -.31, p < .001) had significant negative
social support had the highest risk of burnout (41.5%). The lowest risk
correlations with burnout.
of burnout (97%) was found for women with high stress management.
Finally, the goodness of fit of model functioning may be observed in
Logistic Regression Model
its correct classification of 81.6% of the participants.
For the logistic regression analysis with the burnout syndrome Finally, the results of the simple mediation model are presented
as the dependent variable, it was previously dichotomized into two in Figure 2 below. Perceived social support was proposed as the
categories, participants affected by the syndrome representing 18.4% predictor variable (X), mediated by self-efficacy (M) of burnout as the
(n = 240) and those not affected, 81.6% (n = 1,066).
dependent variable (Y). In the first regression analysis, self-efficacy
As the predictor variables in the equation – sex, employment
situation, users attended to, self-efficacy, perceived social support, (M) was taken as the result variable, and the effect of social support
and finally the five emotional intelligence factors, intrapersonal, was estimated, finding it to be significant, a = 0.58, p < .001. In the
interpersonal, stress management, adaptability and mood – were following regression analysis, taking burnout as the result variable
used. Table 2 shows these variables, the regression coefficients, (Y), the effect of the independent variable, b = -0.19, p < .001, and the
the standard error of estimation, the Wald statistic, with degrees
mediator, c’ = -0.44, p < .001, were estimated, in both cases statistically
of freedom and associated probability, the coefficient of partial
significant. The total effect of social support on burnout, c = -0.55, p <
correlation, and the cross-product ratio.
The odds ratio or cross-product ratio found for each variable .001, and the indirect effects after application of bootstrapping were
shows that: significant, B = -0.11, SE = 0.02, 95% CI (-.16, -.06).

Table 2. Results Derived from the Logistic Regression for Probability of Burnout
Variables β SE Wald gl Sig. Exp(β) CI 95%
Sex (Male) .689 .199 12.019 1 .001 1.991 1.349-2.939
Employment situation (Permanent) .576 .162 12.640 1 .000 1.779 1.295-2.444
Nº users attended to .007 .001 23.715 1 .000 1.007 1.004-1.010
General self-efficacy -.048 .025 3.811 1 .051 0.953 0.908-1.000
Perceived social support -.107 .029 13.668 1 .000 0.899 0.849-0.951
Intrapersonal -.042 .035 1.409 1 .235 0.959 0.895-1.028
Interpersonal -.107 .053 4.099 1 .043 0.898 0.810-0.997
Stress management -.311 .041 56.269 1 .000 0.733 0.676-0.795
Adaptability .096 .058 2.781 1 .095 1.101 0.983-1.233
Mood -.101 .051 3.958 1 .047 0.904 0.818-0.999
Constant 7.729 .916 71.126 1 .000 2,272.338
 Psychological Factors on Burnout 37

BURNOUT

Node 0
Category % n
No 81.6 1,066
Si 18.4 240
Total 100.0 1,306

No
Si

Stress management
Adj. p-value = .000
Chi-square = 86.632, df = 3

< = 11.0 (11.0, 12.0) (12.0, 14.0) > 14.0

Node 1 Node 2 Node 3 Node 4

Category % n Category % n Category % n Category % n
No 63.2 120 No 78.1 328 No 83.4 317 No 95.3 301
Si 36.8 70 Si 21.9 92 Si 16.6 63 Si 4.7 15
Total 14.5 190 Total 32.2 420 Total 29.1 380 Total 24.2 316

Mood Interpersonal Sex

Adj. p-value = .002 Adj. p-value = .000 Adj. p-value = .001
Chi-square = 12.675, df = 1 Chi-square = 22.512, df = 1 Chi-square = 10.082, df = 1

< = 13.0 > 13.0 < = 12.0 > 12.0 Women Men

Node 5 Node 6 Node 7 Node 8 Node 9 Node 10

Category % n Category % n Category % n Category % n Category % n Category % n
No 74.6 252 No 92.7 76 No 75.6 164 No 93.9 153 No 97.0 255 No 86.8 46
Si 25.4 86 Si 7.3 6 Si 24.4 53 Si 6.1 10 Si 3.0 8 Si 13.2 7
Total 25.9 338 Total 6.3 82 Total 16.6 217 Total 12.5 163 Total 20.1 263 Total 4.1 53

Employment status Perceived social support Mood

Adj. p-value = .017 Adj. p-value = .007 Adj. Pp-value = .008
Chi-square = 5.691, df = 1 Chi-square = 11.090, df = 1 Chi-square = 10.296, df = 1

Temporary Permanent < = 22.0 > 22.0 < = 12.0 > 12.0

Node 11 Node 12 Node 13 Node 14 Node 15 Node 16

Category % n Category % n Category % n Category % n Category % n Category % n
No 78.3 184 No 66.0 68 No 58.5 31 No 81.1 133 No 93.2 109 No 100.0 146
Si 21.7 51 Si 34.0 35 Si 41.5 22 Si 18.9 31 Si 6.8 8 Si 0.0 0
Total 18.0 235 Total 18.0 235 Total 4.1 53 Total 4.1 164 Total 9.0 117 Total 11.2 146

Figure 1. Regression and Classification Tree Burnout.

M (Nogueira et al., 2018) variables in development of the burnout

Self-efficacy syndrome in healthcare personnel. In recent years, furthermore,
some studies have also suggested the active involvement of
a = .58*** b = -.19*** psychological variables, such as emotional intelligence (Landa et al.,
2006; Nespereira-Campuzano & Vázquez-Campo, 2017), perceived
social support (Avendaño et al., 2009) and general self-efficacy (Yang,
X c´ = -.44*** Y 2011) in burnout.
Social support Burnout
c = -.55*** The results of this study were intended to identify a series of
variables which, as a representation of each of the areas mentioned,
Figure 2. Simple Mediation Model for Self-efficacy on the Relationship between constitute risk and/or protective factors (Alexandrova-Karamanova
Perceived Social Support and Burnout. et al., 2016; de Paiva & Gonçalves, 2017; Navarro-González et al.,
***p < .001.
2015; Olvera-Islas et al., 2015). We specifically focused on nursing
professionals as a population vulnerable to this syndrome (Collet et
Discussion and Conclusions al., 2018; Vives et al., 2016).
In the first place, results for the sociodemographic variables
Many studies have analyzed the involvement of different personal were in line with those of studies (Losa et al., 2010; Purvanova &
(García & Herrero, 2008; Garrosa et al., 2008) and professional Muros, 2010), questioning the trend identifying the female sex with
38 M. C. Pérez-Fuentes et al. / The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context (2019) 11(1) 33-40

proneness to developing burnout. In our case, the risk of suffering personal and professional variables are included, providing data on
from burnout is higher in males (Khaghanizadeh et al., 2008). the protection/risk value implied by the factors present, in addition
The lowest risk of burnout was found for women with high stress to its contribution to clarifying the relationships with the burnout
management. No direct association with the syndrome was observed syndrome, is noteworthy.
for age (Alimoglu & Donmez, 2005). Among the practical implications of the study, it should be
Furthermore, among the professional variables which were finally mentioned that greater knowledge of the incidence of the variables
subjected to logistic regression analysis, a positive correlation was studied in the syndrome which affects a large part of healthcare
observed with the number of users attended to during the workday, personnel implies the possibility of preventive intervention
where a relationship was shown between burnout and overwork proposals to control their appearance which, in turn, will improve
(Portoghese et al., 2014). Likewise, job stability, as reflected by the the quality of healthcare service attention. On an organizational
type of contract (permanent vs. temporary), showed significant level, the data provided could facilitate selection, hiring, and
differences in burnout, where the group of professionals with a promotion of personnel in the area of healthcare. These practical
permanent contract were at the highest risk (Fernández-Sánchez et implications should be considered with caution in view of the
al., 2010; Gómez-Urquiza et al., 2017). limitations derived from errors associated with the measurement
Previous studies on emotional intelligence variables have method. In this case, as an evaluation inserted in the work context,
emphasized that self-efficacy and social support, and failure to there could be certain sources of error such as malingering (Arce,
manage emotional demands in social interaction can produce Fariña, & Vilariño, 2015) and/or denying injury (Arce, Fariña, Novo,
professional burnout (Bajo & González, 2014; Landa et al., 2006). & Seijo, 2015), which might or might not respond intentionally in
Participants with medium-to-high stress management, low the worker’s interest. However, it is true that either case would
interpersonal skill levels, and perceived social support had the imply a bias in the honesty of the answers of the professionals in
highest risk of burnout. Thus, to the extent that its competency is the sample.
directed at promoting personal and social wellbeing, emotional In brief, this study identifies possible burnout predictor
intelligence would contribute to preventing development of the variables (having a protective effect), as well as the relationships
syndrome (Kim, 2009; Morales, 2017). Our research showed this in between them. All of this is intended to orient future research
the relationships established with the various emotional intelligence toward establishing coping profiles for the triggers of burnout, and
factors analyzed. The results for perceived social support suggest that not just risk detection.
it might be related negatively to burnout scores (Aranda et al., 2004),
with a certain degree of involvement in stress control, and adopting
Acknowledgments
adequate coping behaviors (Arrogante et al., 2016; Hatamipour et al.,
2017; Scheurer et al., 2012; Stevens et al., 2013). As in the study by Kim The present study has the collaboration of the Excma. Diputación
(2009), direct involvement of the role of self-efficacy in developing Provincial de Almería. Part of this work has been developed thanks to
burnout was not corroborated by our data, even though it had a
the financing of University Teaching Training in Deficit Areas, Gerty
relationship with social support (Simón et al., 2017) and emotional
Cori Aid, for the help for the hiring of research staff in predoctoral
intelligence (Gharetepeh et al., 2015; Zhu et al., 2016). Nevertheless,
training, granted by María del Mar Simón Márquez.
in the mediation analysis proposed, the data extracted suggest a
mediating role of self-efficacy in the effect exerted by social support
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