Association between Moral Distress and Burnout Syndrome in university-hospital nurses

Abstract

Abstract Objective: to analyze the association between moral distress and Burnout Syndrome among nurses in a university hospital. Method: descriptive, analytical study conducted with 269 nurses working in a university hospital located in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Data were collected in person in 2019 by previously trained collectors. A sociodemographic and employment questionnaire, the Brazilian Scale of Moral Distress in Nurses and the Maslach Burnout Inventory were applied. Descriptive and analytical statistical analysis was used. Results: an association was identified between moral distress intensity and frequency and its dimensions with Burnout Syndrome and its dimensions. Nurses with low professional achievement and high emotional exhaustion showed a higher prevalence of moral distress. Conclusion: an association between moral distress and Burnout Syndrome, as well as between their dimensions, was evidenced. The results suggest the need to investigate urgent interventions to mitigate the situations and manifestations of moral distress and Burnout Syndrome by developing strategies for workers’ health.