Investigating the Relationship Between Cultural Competence and Job Burnout in Nurses: A Study in Southwest Iran

Abstract

Providing nursing care based on respecting cultural differences is very effective in the relationship between nurse and patient. Nurses who are unable to recognise and accept different cultures often experience burnout and anxiety and stress in the work environment. On the other hand, the importance of cultural competence and its relationship with job burnout in nurses as the most important group providing care to patients is becoming more clear. Therefore, we conducted a study to determine the relationship between cultural competence and job burnout in nurses working in selected hospitals affiliated to Jundishapour University of Medical Sciences in Ahvaz in 2021. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 232 nurses working in selected hospitals of Jundishapour University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz. The samples were selected using convenient sampling method. Demographic questionnaire, Mulder's cultural competence questionnaire and Maslach's job burnout questionnaire were used to collect data. Data were analysed using Pearson's correlation coefficient test and SPSS 16 software. Results: Most of the participants were female (74.3%) and 27.7% were male. Also, 71.3% of them were married and 92.3% had a bachelor's degree. There is an inverse relationship between job burnout dimensions and cultural competence dimensions (knowledge in cultural care, preparation for cultural care, attitude in cultural care, awareness in cultural care), but it is not statistically significant (p>0.05). Emotional exhaustion has an inverse and significant correlation with cultural competence (p = 0.000), (r = -0.494). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that cultural competence is related to job burnout in nurses.