Intensive group psychotherapy intervention in a natural environment for the treatment of burnout in an oncology nursing team

Abstract

This pilot study aims to test the influence of a group psychotherapeutic intervention on stress and burnout in an oncology nursing team. The psychological intervention consisted of implementing a package for stress inoculation, mainly using cognitive-behavioral techniques. The intervention is carried out intensively, through the coexistence of the group for three days in an accommodation located in a natural mountain environment. We used a quasi-experimental design of two groups (experimental and control) with pre and post-treatment measures. The experimental group was composed of nine members of the nursing team that received the psychological treatment and the control group was composed of eleven professionals from other teams of oncology nursing. The dependent variables considered were, on one hand anxiety and depression (evaluated by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and, on the other hand, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal fulfilment (evaluated by the Maslach Burnout Inventory). The experimental group improved significantly in anxiety (Z = -2.44, P = 0.015, d = 0.71), personal fulfilment (Z =-2.54, P= 0.011, d=-1.29) and emotional exhaustion (Z=-2.08; p=0.037; d=0.94) one month post -treatment. In the pre-treatment, The experimental group showed burnout levels higher than the control group, particularly with regard to the lack of personal personal fulfilment (U=14, P = 0.006, d = -1.61), mainly regarding the lack of personal fulfillment (U=14; p=0.006; d=-1.61). in fact the experimental group had requested psychological intervention. In fact, the experimental group had requested psychological intervention. After the therapeutic experience, the values of the dependent variables were equal in both groups. One year after the intervention, the treated group is still having a significant positive effect on the personal fulfilment (Z=-2.24; p=0.025; d=-1.15) and on the depersonalization (Z=-2.23; p=0.026; d=0.52). We conclude that an intensive program of group cognitive behavioral therapy in a natural setting outside the hospital can be an effective strategy of burnout treatment in oncology nurses.