Burnout Among Nurses, Midwives, and Physicians in Maternity Care Exposed to Traumatic Childbirth Events

Details

• Personal Author:
  Atlas RO ; Blanchard M ; Gaitens JM ; Ogbolu Y ; Robinson KA ; Storr CL
• Description:
  Purpose: To describe the relationship between experiencing traumatic childbirth events and burnout. Study Designs and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study used an anonymous online survey to assess traumatic childbirth event exposure and the three independent constructs of burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Participants were a convenience sample of registered nurses, obstetric residents, family medicine residents, and attending obstetricians across five hospitals from December 2020 through June 2021. The traumatic childbirth event questionnaire measured the frequency of traumatic childbirth event exposure, perception of severity, and perceived influence on the participant's professional practice and personal life. Results: Data were analyzed from 150 participants. Registered nurses represented the largest percentage of participants (66%). Components of burnout varied according to race and occupation. Asian/Pacific Islanders had significantly higher mean depersonalization scores at 10.1 (SD = 6.0). Resident physicians had the highest emotional exhaustion scores (M = 34.6, SD = 8.8). Traumatic childbirth events perceived influence on practice correlates with personal accomplishments. Yet, no relationship was observed between traumatic childbirth events, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization. Linear mixed analysis revealed that hospitals account for 7.5% of the variance in emotional exhaustion scores, 11.1% in depersonalization scores, and 1.3% in personal accomplishments scores. Clinical Implications: Maternity clinicians experience burnout at similar rates to those in other specialties. Although traumatic childbirth events are infrequent and not strongly correlated with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, hospitals should implement effective strategies to support clinicians after such events. Educational interventions can enhance knowledge and resilience, whereas specialized training effectively alleviates burnout. Development of evidence-based strategies that prioritize the wellbeing of clinicians and patients is crucial. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Health Personnel Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Ppsychological Burnout Burnout Childbirth Cross Sectional Studies Depersonalization Health Care Workers Mental Health Midwives Nurses Obstetricians Occupational Psychology Professional Practice Psychological Resilience Traumatic Traumatic Incident Stress

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• ISSN:
  0361-929X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  332-340
• Volume:
  49
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070290
• Citation:
  MCN Am J Matern Child Nurs 2024 Nov/Dec; 49(6):332-340
• Email:
  ratlas@mdmercy.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  Johns Hopkins University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  MCN: the American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7aa28cfda330d9f46f31c6f07d40e0c46690a9236ce977a2fc4074d61946cb90b4199e7f595c6ad56ddcac0819a1b155d4d3a7080a21db7139bcefeb89d0bc49
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208534/cdc_208534_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 902.64 KB ]