Burnout and perceived stress among health visitors in Hungary

Abstract Background In Hungary, the health visitors are responsible for the health promotion of families and communities. However, as a consequence of the structural reorganization of the health visitors service and the emotionally situations (e.g. the war in a neighboring country, the economic crisis) that have arisen, there has been an increased prevalence of chronic stress, burnout and career abandonment among health visitors. The objective of the cross-sectional study was to ascertain the prevalence of burnout among health visitors and to examine the relationship between burnout and job stress. Methods The data was collected via an online questionnaire tool. In addition to questions pertaining to sociodemographic data, the questionnaire employed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI Human Services Survey) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Hypotheses were tested using analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal-Wallis test, Dunett test. The source population of the study was health visitors. A total of 178 health visitors constituted the target population. Results The average age of the study participants was 45.2 years. It can be observed that health visitors who perceive less appreciation from their colleagues, employers and caregivers are more likely to experience higher levels of burnout and stress (p < 0.05). The lowest levels of stress were observed in school health visitors, while the highest levels were seen in health visitors covering villages (p < 0.05). Those who remained in the field due to a passion for working with families and children, a sense of vocation, and a desire to help others exhibited lower levels of burnout (p < 0.05). The high number of clients served by health visitors was found to increase burnout and stress levels (p < 0.05). Conclusions The findings of this research will assist in the comprehension of the phenomenon of burnout among health visitors, thereby enabling the development of more efficacious methods for the treatment and prevention. Key messages • Preventing burnout among health visitors is a priority, as it affects their work and their relationship with the families they care for in the short and long term. • Health visitors frequently encounter families in crisis during the course of their work, necessitating regular supervision to maintain their mental health.