Abstract

Background

Burnout Syndrome (BS) is an emotional disorder characterized by extreme physical and mental exhaustion resulting from stressful work situations; depression is an affective alteration resulting from negative personal experiences, without reference to specific contexts.

Objective

to analyze a possible association between burnout and emotional tension and depression in nursing professionals at a hospital in Campina Grande - PB.

Method

The design was quantitative-correlational, with Emotional Tension and Depression as the dependent variable and the burnout factors (Emotional Exhaustion - EE, Cynicism - CI, Ineffectiveness at Work - IT) independent variables, not assuming causal relationships. The participants were 220 individuals The instruments MBI (HSS), QSG-12, and Sociodemographic Record were applied. Descriptive, correlation (Spearman), and regression analyzes were performed.

Results

15% of the sample shows high EE, 8.6% moderate tension, and 3.2% depression. There was a shared prediction between the three factors of BS with Emotional Tension and Depression, with EE being the strongest predictor, explaining 17% of the variance.

Conclusion

The data offer a strong suggestion that high levels of EE influence depression, and it is essential to face them by offering psychological, educational, and material support to restore the physical and mental energy caused by work overload.

Keywords:
burnout; emotional tension; depression; nursing