Personal factors contributing to staff burnout in aged care

Burnout is a complex occupational phenomenon that is influenced by personal, interpersonal, and organisational factors. [1] In this theme, personal factors refer to elements of an individual's life and experiences, which contribute to their unique background. [2] These features, whether positive or negative, play a role in influencing an individual's overall functioning. [2] Personal factors play a crucial role in shaping how individuals, like aged care workers, perceive and respond to the demands of their work (i.e. high self-expectation), which can be a contributing component to burnout. [3] Understanding these personal factors allows organisations to tailor interventions and support systems that address the specific needs of aged care staff, promote resilience and wellbeing in the face of challenging work environments. [3, 4]

Interpersonal and organisational factors are discussed in separate evidence theme reports.

This evidence theme on personal factors is a summary of one of the key topics identified by a scoping review of the staff burnout research. If you need more specific or comprehensive information about this topic, try using our PubMed searches provided below. 

The 2022 scoping review found 17 studies on personal factors contributing to burnout amongst aged care workers. [5-21] The 2023 update found an additional two studies that contributed to this theme. [22, 23] Personal factors influencing staff burnout can be categorised into demographic, health, self-perception and attitudes, and coping strategies.  

Demographic 

• Having English as a second language [20]
• Age (younger personal care workers) [17, 23]
• Civil status (being single and not being married) [12, 17]
• Education (higher level of education) [12]
• Longer-term employee [17, 18]

Health 

• Experience shorter sleep duration [5]
• Low self-care capabilities [9]

Self-perceptions and attitudes 

• Low self-esteem and self-compassion [9, 14, 18]
• Lack of resilience [15]
• Scoring high on extraversion [11]
• Have negative attitudes and stereotypes towards older adults. [22]  Interestingly, aged care workers with high levels of age-related stereotypes often adopt avoidance coping strategies and aggressive reactions, attempting to shield themselves from negative emotions. [22]
• Low levels of self-efficacy and helplessness [11, 19]
• Not seeing the meaning in work (i.e. low levels of professional-efficacy) [6, 13, 16]
• Lack of commitment to the job [18]
• Low levels of intrinsic (i.e. self-development) and altruistic (i.e. contribution to the organisation) work values [21]

Experiences of complicated grief, for example, unexpected death, can be a burden for aged care workers. [7] Another study suggest that caring for 11 or more dying residents over six month period can increase risks of burnout. [8]

Coping strategies 

• Respond to events with negative emotions (i.e., high neuroticism) [11]
• Using dysfunctional or avoidance coping strategies (i.e., giving up, constant venting, or substance use) [5]
• Lack of emotion regulation [10]
• Having self-endangering coping behaviour (i.e. lack of goal-reaching behaviours) [9]

• Prioritise personal health and wellbeing through proactive measures, including regular health check-ups, mental health support, and strategies to improve sleep quality.
• Engage in reflective practice to identify and manage emotional responses to workplace challenges.

• Foster an ethical work environment by addressing moral distress factors. This can be done by providing avenues for employees to express and discuss ethical concerns. Education and/or information sessions can also be provided to employees to ensuring that the organisation's values align with those of its staff.
• Establish comprehensive support systems to foster psychological safety within the workplace, for example, providing access to counselling services, support groups, and training on effective coping strategies.

1. Maslach C, Leiter MP. Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World psychiatry. 2016;15(2):103-111.  
2. Grotkamp SL, Cibis WM, Nüchtern EA, von Mittelstaedt G, Seger WK. Personal factors in the international classification of functioning, disability and health: Prospective evidence. The Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling. 2012;18(1):1-24.  
3. Rachel H, Francesco S. Factors associated with and impact of burnout in nursing and residential home care workers for the elderly. Acta Bio Medica: Atenei Parmensis. 2018;89(Suppl 7):60.  
4. Baker R, Camosso‐Stefinovic J, Gillies C, Shaw EJ, Cheater F, Flottorp S, et al. Tailored interventions to address determinants of practice. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2015(4).  
5. Bamonti P, Conti E, Cavanagh C, Gerolimatos L, Gregg J, Goulet C, et al. Coping, cognitive emotion regulation, and burnout in long-term care nursing staff: A preliminary study. Journal of Applied Gerontology. 2019;38(1):92-111.  
6. Boerner K, Gleason H, Jopp DS. Burnout after patient death: Challenges for direct care workers. Journal of pain and symptom management. 2017;54(3):317-325.  
7. Pott K, Chan K, Leclerc A, Bernard C, Song A, Puyat J, et al. Death in long-term care: Focus groups and interviews identify strategies to alleviate staff burnout. Journal of Long-Term Care. 2020;2020:131-143.  
8. Puyat JH, Leclerc A, Song A, Chan K, Pott K, Bernard C, et al. Exposure to deaths and dying and risks of burnout among long-term care staff: A cross-sectional survey. Palliative Medicine. 2019;33(6):717-720.  
9. Eder LL, Meyer B. Self-endangering: A qualitative study on psychological mechanisms underlying nurses’ burnout in long-term care. International Journal of Nursing Sciences. 2022;9(1):36-48.  
10. Guan B, Jepsen DM. Burnout from emotion regulation at work: The moderating role of gratitude. Personality and Individual Differences. 2020;156:109703.  
11. Kanios A, Bocheńska-Brandt A. Occupational burnout among workers in the long-term care sector in relation to their personality traits. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health. 2020;34(4):491-504.  
12. Kim BJ, Ishikawa H, Liu L, Ohwa M, Sawada Y, Lim HY, et al. The effects of job autonomy and job satisfaction on burnout among careworkers in long-term care settings: Policy and practice implications for japan and south korea. Educational Gerontology. 2018;44(5-6):289-300.  
13. Kim BJ, Lee S-y. A cross-sectional study on the impacts of perceived job value, job maintenance, and social support on burnout among long-term care staff in hawaii. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021;18(2):476.  
14. Low YS, Bhar S, Chen WS. Exploring the relationship between co-worker and supervisor support, self-confidence, coping skills and burnout in residential aged care staff. BMC nursing. 2022;21(1):1-10.  
15. Moon Y, Shin SY. Moderating effects of resilience on the relationship between emotional labor and burnout in care workers. Journal of Gerontological Nursing. 2018;44(10):30-39.  
16. Olley R. Hear me, see me, trust you–job burnout and disengagement of australian aged care workers. Leadership in Health Services. 2022;36(1):111-124.  
17. Squires JE, Baumbusch J, Varin MD, MacDonald I, Chamberlain S, Boström A-M, et al. A profile of regulated nurses employed in canadian long-term care facilities. Canadian Journal on Aging/La revue canadienne du vieillissement. 2019;38(2):130-142.  
18. Yeatts DE, Seckin G, Shen Y, Thompson M, Auden D, Cready CM. Burnout among direct‐care workers in nursing homes: Influences of organisational, workplace, interpersonal and personal characteristics. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 2018;27(19-20):3652-3665.  
19. Chamberlain SA, Hoben M, Squires JE, Estabrooks CA. Individual and organizational predictors of health care aide job satisfaction in long term care. BMC Health Services Research. 2016;16(1):1-9.  
20. Chamberlain SA, Gruneir A, Hoben M, Squires JE, Cummings GG, Estabrooks CA. Influence of organizational context on nursing home staff burnout: A cross-sectional survey of care aides in western canada. International journal of nursing studies. 2017;71:60-69.  
21. Saito Y, Igarashi A, Noguchi‐Watanabe M, Takai Y, Yamamoto‐Mitani N. Work values and their association with burnout/work engagement among nurses in long‐term care hospitals. Journal of Nursing Management. 2018;26(4):393-402.  
22. López-Frutos P, Pérez-Rojo G, Noriega C, Velasco C, Carretero I, Martínez-Huertas JÁ, et al. Burnout and quality of life in professionals working in nursing homes: The moderating effect of stereotypes. Frontiers in Psychology. 2022;13:772896.  
23. Daghash H, Haegdorens F, Gillis K, Slootmans S, De Smedt K, Van Bogaert P, et al. A hospitality improvement intervention in residential care does not warrant staff job satisfaction or turnover intention: A cross-sectional survey study investigating the hostmanship program. Cureus. 2022;14(3).