The Relationship Between Burnout and the Self-Awareness Among Emergency Healthcare Workers

Susan W. Ruturi, M.A. Clinical Psychology., United States International University, Africa; Rachel Ngesa Maina, Ph.D., Kenya School of Government, Nairobi, Kenya; & Danson Musyoka, Ph.D., University of Kigali, Rwanda

This study, conducted among emergency healthcare workers at in a Kenyan health institution in 2019, explored the relationship between burnout and emotional intelligence. The specific objective was to establish the relationship between burnout and self-awareness which is one aspect of emotional intelligence. The ethical approvals were obtained and the theoretical framework for burnout was based on Goleman’s model while that of emotional intelligence was based on Maslach’s multidimensional theory. The study was based on a sample of 120 (76 females, 44 males) respondents from a target population of 218 healthcare workers. A complete enumeration method was used and the Pearson correlation coefficient used to investigate the relationship between the variables. The study results showed presence of burnout, and established a negative correlation that is not significant of self-awareness with exhaustion (r= -0.36, p= 0.696) as well as depersonalization (r= -0.068, p= 0.464), but a positive correlation with personal achievement (r= 0.287, p= 0.001). The study recommends that the health institution should develop interventions and framework mechanisms to safeguard the self-awareness and investigate burnout among their healthcare workers.

Keywords: Burnout, emotional intelligence, self-awareness, Emergency Healthcare Workers