Abstract
Background and aims: The aim of the current study was to assess the construct validity of the Persian version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) among dentists and burnout rate and its related factors among general dentists in Shiraz during the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed among 385 general dentists in Shiraz. Multiple stage sampling was performed for sample selection. In addition to a questionnaire containing demographic and job-related characteristics, the burnout rate was assessed using the MBI-HSS. The MBI-HSS consists of emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal accomplishment (PA) dimensions. The Pearson correlation coefficient, independent t-test, and multiple regression analysis were applied for statistical analysis. Finally, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the model’s fitness.
Results: A total of 385 dentists participated in the study, including 213 (55.3%) males and 172 (44.7%) females with a mean age of 32.89 (±6.29) years. The mean years of activity, the number of patients per week, and working hours per week were 9.15 years, 31.55 patients, and 39.50 hours, respectively. Most dentists showed low to moderate burnout in terms of EE (86%) and moderate to high burnout with regard to DP (90.9%) and PA (96.6%). Regarding the association between demographic factors and burnout dimensions, EE had a significant association with gender (B=0.26, P<0.001), age (B=-0.04, P=0.044), marital status (B=-0.42, P<0.001), and years of practice (B=-0.26, P<0.001). Further, DP was significantly associated with gender (B=0.13, P=0.043), marital status (B=-0.32, P<0.001), working hours per week (B=0.01, P=0.047), and the number of working clinics (B=-0.17, P=0.047). In addition, PA represented a significant association with marital status (B=-0.34, P<0.001). The three-dimensional model showed appropriate fitness in the current study.
Conclusion: Most general dentists in Shiraz demonstrated low to moderate burnout regarding EE, most dentists had moderate to high burnout regarding DP and PA. Accordingly, gender, marital status, years of practice, the number of working clinics, and working hours should be considered burnout-associated factors by policymakers.