The Relationship between Circadian Rhythm and Shift Work with Occupational Burnout among Nurses Caring for COVID-19 Patients

Occupational burnout leads to inappropriate physical and psychological results and eventually leaving the job, especially during public health crises and pandemics of infectious diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). On the other hand, rotating shifts are considered as one of the most important stressful factors in jobs with shift work. The sleep-wake cycle is affected in these occupations, and there is a direct relationship between circadian rhythms (morning/evening) that are individual characteristics, with this cycle.

This study is considered as a cross-sectional, correlational-descriptive research in which 130 nurses caring for COVID-19 patients in Khorram Abad Hospital were selected by convenience sampling method and included in the study based on the inclusion criteria. The participants completed the demographic information form, Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) and The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The collected data were analyzed by SPSS version 16.0.

Most of the samples were female whose age average and standard deviation was 36.75±8.60 years. According to the results, the average score of the frequency and severity of burnout in the dimension of emotional exhaustion (27.77±12.30 and 32.82±8.59, respectively) and in the dimensions of depersonalization was (15.64±4.88 and 19.05±7.22 respectively) was in the high range and in the dimension of personal success (24.58±5.14 and 32.98±10.61) it was in the medium range. According to the results, no significant relationship was observed between the frequency and severity of burnout among nurses with their circadian type, but the mean score of the frequency and severity of occupational burnout among nurses who did not adapt to shift work and circadian rhythm was significantly higher than that of nurses who had this adaptation. (P<0.05).

In this study, nurses caring for COVID-19 patients had a high level of occupational burnout, and non-compliance of shift work with the circadian rhythm was associated with more occupational burnout in nurses. Therefore, it is suggested to pay attention to the adaptation of the day and night shifts of the nurses, especially in the public health crisis and the epidemic of certain diseases, which is accompanied by an increase in the work pressure of the nurses