Table 4.
Characteristics of studies on burnout among midwives and health professional students in sub-Saharan Africa (N = 9)
| First Author, Year | Country | Study population | Burnout assessment | Reported burnout | Main findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midwives (N = 2) | |||||
| Muliira, 2016 [114] | Uganda | Midwives in two rural districts (N = 224) | ProQOL, burnout subscale | 36.9 ± 6.2 (mean ± SD) | Compassion satisfaction was associated with psychological well-being (p < 0.01) and job satisfaction (p < 0.01). Burnout and secondary traumatic stress were associated with education level (p < 0.01), marital status (p < 0.01), involvement in non-midwifery healthcare (p < 0.01), and physical well-being (p < 0.01). |
| Rouleau, 2012 [115] | Senegal | Midwives from 22 hospitals (N = 185) | MBI |
Emotional exhaustion (mean ± SD): 35.4 ± 9.6 Depersonalization: 11.4 ± 6.1 Personal accomplishment: 39.7 ± 4.8 |
Emotional exhaustion was inversely associated with remuneration (p = 0.02) and task satisfaction (p = 0.03). Actively job searching was associated with being dissatisfied with job security (p < 0.01), and voluntary quitting was associated with dissatisfaction with continuing education (p < 0.01). |
| Medical and nursing students (N = 7) | |||||
| Colby, 2018 [116] | South Africa | Medical students (N = 91) | MBI-HSS | 41.7% had moderate burnout on the depersonalization subscale. 58.2% had high burnout on the personal accomplishment. Equal numbers of participants reported low or high emotional exhaustion (39.6 and 39.6%, respectively). Overall, 46.1% reported high, 33.8% moderate, and 20% low burnout. | There were significant associations between the psychological health subscale of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment and all subscales of the MBI, in particular emotional exhaustion (p < 0.01). |
| Gordon, 2016 [117] | South Africa | Oral hygiene students (N = 89) | MBI |
Emotional exhaustion (mean ± SD): 3.3 ± 1.8 Depersonalization: 1.3 ± 1.6 Personal accomplishment: 3.7 ± 1.7 |
There were significant differences in burnout between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year students (p = 0.039). |
| Mason, 2012 [118] | South Africa | Nursing students (N = 80) | ProQOL, burnout subscale | 63.75% had a moderate to high risk for burnout | Burnout was significantly associated with compassion fatigue and negatively associated with compassion satisfaction (p < 0.01). |
| Mathias, 2017 [119] | South Africa | Undergraduate nursing students (N = 67) | ProQOL, burnout subscale | 6% had low levels of burnout, 94% moderate, & none had high burnout | The majority of nursing students experienced average levels of burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction. |
| Njim, 2018 [120] | Cameroon | Nursing students (N = 447) | Oldenburg Burnout Inventory |
Disengagement (mean ± SD): 17.1 ± 3.1 Exhaustion: 20.9 ± 3.0 |
Satisfaction with results and regret with choice of nursing studies were determinants of burnout (p < 0.05) |
| Njim, 2019 [121] | Cameroon | Medical students (N = 413) | Oldenburg Burnout Inventory |
Disengagement (mean ± SD): 16.6 ± 3.4 Exhaustion: 20.5 ± 3.5 |
Marital status, relationship difficulties, cumulative GPA, regretting the choice of medical studies, and recreational drug use significantly predicted burnout (p < 0.05). |
| Stein, 2016 [122] | South Africa | Paramedic students (N = 93) | CBI |
Work related burnout (mean ± SD): 49.1 ± 12.9 Personal burnout: 53.4 ± 15.0 Patient care related burnout: 34.0 ± 19.5 Overall burnout: 45.2 ± 11.5 31% reported high burnout |
There were no significant differences in mean burnout between the 4 academic years of study in work-related, personal, and patient care-related burnout. |
Abbreviations: CBI Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, MBI Maslach Burnout Inventory, MBI-HSS Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey, ProQOL Professional Quality of Life Scale