The prevalence of burnout, psychological distress and frequently used coping strategies among primary care health workers in North West and North Central Regional Health Authorities

ABSTRACT

Background: The prevalence of mental health issues among health care workers, including primary care workers, has reached concerning levels globally. The presence of the more common conditions such as the burnout syndrome and psychological distress among primary care workers in Trinidad and Tobago has not been examined. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of the burnout syndrome and psychological distress among primary care health care workers in Trinidad, as well as their associations with socio-demographic factors, workplace factors and stress coping strategies. Research Design and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 245 primary care physicians and nurses within the North West and North Central Regional Health Authorities. The Maslach Burnout Inventory, General Health Questionnaire and the Brief COPE measured outcomes through a self-administered questionnaire. Results: The overall prevalence of burnout among participants was 32.7% and 25.3% were distressed. Younger age groups (<45 years) had significant associations with both burnout [OR 2.91 (1.66-5.12)] and distress [OR 2.73 (1.48-5.04)]. Physicians were also significantly more likely to be burnt out as compared to nurses [OR 2.95 (1.69-5.14)]. Increased odds for burnout were also found for those who had no children, or less than three children, those with postgraduate qualifications or enrolled in a training programme. Spending less thanfour hours a day in leisure activities increased the odds of both burnout and psychological distress. Avoidant and emotion focused coping were significantly associated with burnout and distress. Use of religion was significantly associated with those in the non-burnout and non-distressed groups. Conclusion: The results reveal that prevalence of mental health issues is significant among primary care workers in these two settings. Individual and organizational prevention and intervention strategies can be utilized to address this issue, targeting physicians, younger workers and addressing stress coping strategies.