The Relationship between Temperament and Character Traits and Burnout among Nurses

Aim: A repeatedly asked question is why, under the same working conditions, one individual burns out, whereas another shows no symptoms at all. We sought to address this among nurses, who are considered to be particularly susceptible to the danger of burnout due to the nature of their work. Methods: This study was carried out with 108 randomly selected nurses working at Derince Training and Research Hospital. The Maslach burnout inventory and temperament character inventory were applied. Results: Novelty seeking (NS) and harm avoidance (HA) scores showed a positive correlation with high burnout level; a negative correlation was shown with persistence (P), self-directedness (SD), and cooperation (C). According to the regression analysis performed in order to assess whether personality characteristics are predictive of burnout levels, Novelty Seeking and HA were positive predictors, while C was a negative predictor of total burnout levels. Conclusion: This study showed that there is a relationship between the temperament and character traits and burnout. While analyzing the structure of healthcare provider systems, individual specific evaluations and development of personality traits that are protective against individual burnout should be put on the agenda.