Within- and between-person factor structure of the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory: Analysis of a diary study using multilevel confirmatory factor analysis

The impact of different data handling strategies in exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of diary measures: an evaluation using simulated and real-world asthma nighttime symptoms diary data

BACKGROUND

Daily diaries are an important modality for patient-reported outcome assessment. They typically comprise multiple questions, so understanding their underlying structure is key to appropriate analysis and interpretation. Structural evaluation of such measures poses challenges due to the high volume of repeated measurements. Potential strategies include selecting a single day, averaging item-level observations over time, or using all data while accounting for its multilevel structure.

METHOD

The above strategies were evaluated in a simulated dataset via exploratory and confirmatory factor modelling by comparing their impact on various estimates (i.e., inter-item correlations, factor loadings, model fit). Each strategy was additionally explored using real-world data from an observational study (the Asthma Nighttime Symptoms Diary).

RESULTS

Both single day and item average strategies resulted in biased factor loadings. The former displayed lower overall bias (single day: 0.064; item average: 0.121) and mean square error (single day: 0.007; item average: 0.016) but greater frequency of incorrect factor number identification compared with the latter (single day: 46.4%; item average: 0%). Increased estimated inter-item correlations were apparent in the item-average method. Non-trivial between- and within-person variance highlighted the utility of a multilevel approach. However, convergence issues and Heywood cases were more common under the multilevel approach (90.2% and 100.0%, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that a multilevel approach can enhance our insight when evaluating the structural properties of daily diary data; however, implementation challenges still remain. Our work offers guidance on the impact of data handling decisions in diary assessment.

Burnout and its associated factors among healthcare workers in COVID-19 isolation centres in Khartoum, Sudan: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Burnout prevalence and its consequences on healthcare workers during the Omicron wave are not well investigated in Sudan. This study aims to assess the prevalence of burnout and its associated factors among doctors and nurses during the omicron wave in COVID-19 isolation centres in Khartoum, Sudan.

METHOD

This cross-sectional survey study was conducted at multiple COVID-19 isolation centres in Khartoum state during the omicron wave of Coronavirus Disease 2019 between 20th February 2022 and 10th April 2022. A total of 306 doctors and nurses filled out the questionnaire, with a response rate of 64.8℅. They were recruited from 5 isolation centers scattered in the three cities of Khartoum Metropolis. The level of burnout was assessed using an online semi-structured questionnaire based on the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used for continuous variables and frequencies with percentages for categorical variables. The Chi-square test and Fisher exact test were used to identify variables associated with burnout. Logistic regression was used to determine the factors associated with burnout, and the p-value of ≤ .05 is considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

The prevalence of burnout was 45.7%. Doctors were more likely to have burnout than nurses (OR: 2.01, CI 95% 1.24-3.27; p = 0.005). Also, married healthcare workers were more likely to suffer burnout than single healthcare workers (OR: 3.89, CI 95% 1.41-12.5; P = 0.013). The number of household members (p = 0.035) was associated with burnout among participants.

CONCLUSION

There is a high prevalence of burnout among healthcare workers in Khartoum Isolation Centers, which is more apparent among doctors.

How trait gratitude relates to teachers' burnout and work engagement: job demands and resources as mediators

The benefits of gratitude in the workplace, in general, and for teachers, in particular, are still understudied. In the present study, we investigated whether teachers' trait gratitude is linked to their work engagement and burnout. Moreover, we explored whether perceived job demands and job resources mediate the relation between employees' gratitude and these two outcomes. A sample of 312 Romanian teachers participated in the study. Participants filled out questionnaires assessing trait gratitude, perceived job characteristics, as well as burnout and work engagement. Results indicated that teachers' trait gratitude was positively associated with their work engagement and negatively with burnout. The relation between trait gratitude and work engagement was mediated by perceived job resources, whereas the link between trait gratitude and burnout was mediated by both job demands and job resources. Our findings suggest that educational institutions could cultivate teachers' gratitude in order to create a healthier and more motivated workforce.

Burnout among psychotherapists: a cross-cultural value survey among 12 European countries during the coronavirus disease pandemic

The aim of this study was to examine cross-cultural differences, as operationalized by Schwartz's refined theory of basic values, in burnout levels among psychotherapists from 12 European countries during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. We focused on the multilevel approach to investigate if individual- and country-aggregated level values could explain differences in burnout intensity after controlling for sociodemographic, work-related characteristics and COVID-19-related distress among participants. 2915 psychotherapists from 12 countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Finland, Great Britain, Serbia, Spain, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, and Switzerland) participated in this study. The participants completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Service Survey, the revised version of the Portrait Values Questionnaire, and a survey questionnaire on sociodemographic, work-related factors and the COVID-19 related distress. In general, the lowest mean level of burnout was noted for Romania, whereas the highest mean burnout intensity was reported for Cyprus. Multilevel analysis revealed that burnout at the individual level was negatively related to self-transcendence and openness-to-change but positively related to self-enhancement and conservation values. However, no significant effects on any values were observed at the country level. Male sex, younger age, being single, and reporting higher COVID-19-related distress were significant burnout correlates. Burnout among psychotherapists may be a transcultural phenomenon, where individual differences among psychotherapists are likely to be more important than differences between the countries of their practice. This finding enriches the discussion on training in psychotherapy in an international context and draws attention to the neglected issue of mental health among psychotherapists in the context of their professional functioning.