The relationship between nurses’ self-compassion and professional burnout

INTRODUCTION: This research was conducted to examine the relationship between nurses’ self-compassion and occupational burnout.
METHODS: Data for this descriptive study were collected from a population of 765 nurses at a university hospital in a province of the Eastern Anatolia region of Türkiye between March and October 2020. A sample was not selected. The research was completed with information provided by 316 participants. A personal information form, the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), and the Burnout Measure (BM) were used to collect data. Coefficient alpha and Pearson correlation analysis were used to evaluate the findings
RESULTS: More than half of the participating nurses were between the ages of 25 and 29, female, and single. Most wanted to pursue a career in nursing and had a bachelor’s degree. The mean SCS score was 75.32±15.67 and the mean total BM score was 4.04±1.27. The mean BM subscale scores were 4.19±1.48 for emotional exhaustion, 3.08±0.78 for mental exhaustion, and 4.20±1.27 for physical exhaustion.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The findings revealed a moderate level of self-compassion and a high level of burnout. Greater self-compassion was associated with less burnout.