Predictors of Burnout Syndrome Among Nigerian Physiotherapists

Abstract

Burnout syndrome is a worldwide phenomenon of considerable significance that has a detrimental impact on employees at all organizational levels and on organizations in their entirety, which translates into substantial human and economic cost. The purpose of this study is to find the association between some factors such as job satisfaction, victimization, proper remuneration, fear of workplace , and poor work environment with burnout syndrome among Nigerian physiotherapists. A total of 201 registered Nigerian physiotherapists (104 male and 97 female) participated in this study. The sample size was calculated using the Yaro Yamen formula and a disproportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to distribute the questionnaire to physiotherapists across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Haris Stress Inventory (HSI) were the instruments used for the study. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation, and inferential statistics such as ANOVA, Spearman’s correlation and the independent t-test. The results show that 38.8% (78) physiotherapists fear their workplace, 31.8% (64) were victimized by their superiors, 45.3% (91)were poorly remunerated, 39.3% (79) reported that their jobs were stressful, while 39.8% (80) were satisfied with their jobs. The study showed that the physiotherapists were experiencing high level of burnout. Hospital management teams should create a conducive and comfortable working environment for their physiotherapists and make sure they are properly remunerated, while programmes should be organized to educate them on prevention, reduction and methods of coping with the syndrome.