PREVALENCE OF BURNOUT & ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS WORKING IN ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA.

Abstract

Abstract Background: Burnout is defined as a syndrome of emotional exhaustion (tiredness, somatic symptoms, decreased emotional resources, and a feeling that one has nothing left to give to others), depersonalization (developing negative, cynical attitudes and impersonal feelings towards their clients, treating them as objects) and lack of feelings of personal accomplishment (feelings of incompetence, inefficiency, and inadequacy). Mental health care workers (MHCWs) are exposed to high levels of stress during their profession and are particularly susceptible to experiencing burnout. Burnout among MHCWs is a growing problem that needs proper attention to be resolved. However, little is known about the burden of burnout among mental health professionals in Ethiopia. Objective: To assess the prevalence of burnout and associated factors among mental health professionals working in Addis Ababa from June 1st to September 30, 2021. Methods and materials: Data was collected through a self-administered online questionnaire. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was used to assess burnout. The collected data was entered, cleaned, and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23. Also, both Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression was done to identify factors associated with burnout. Result: The study revealed that among all mental health care professionals who participated (23.9%, n= 61), (19.6%, n=50) and (27.5%, n=70) had high level burnout in the three parameters which are: - emotional exhaustion, Depersonalization, and low level of personal achievement respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed that depersonalization was independently associated with living alone while emotional exhaustion was associated with increased working hours per day and job satisfaction. Reduced personal accomplishment was associated with plan to leave the country and poor social support. Conclusion: There is high level of burnout among MHCWs in terms of the three burnout parameters. Also, working >8hr/day, living alone, poor social support, plan to leave the country, and low job satisfaction were found to be significantly associated with high level burnout. All relevant parties should be informed of the findings of this study so that they can support mental health care professionals in improving their mental health. Key Words: Burnout, Associated factors, Mental Health Professionals, Ethiopia.