Bearing the Burden of Care: Emotional Burnout Among Maternity Support Workers

• In Event: 243 - Regular Session. Health Care and Care Delivery

Abstract

Within the field of helping occupations, workers that support women in labor (labor and delivery (L&D) nurses and doulas) represent a special group that we describe as “maternity support workers” (MSWs). MSWs are care workers that are present for emotionally-charged and life-changing events – both positive and negative – and the emotional intensity of maternity support work is likely to contribute to high levels of emotional distress and burnout. In this study, we use data from the Maternity Support Survey (MSS) to analyze levels of emotional burnout among L&D nurses and doulas across the United States and Canada. In multivariate OLS regression models, we examine the effects of work-family conflict, overwork, emotional intelligence (regulation of emotions), experience witnessing ethical mistreatment of pregnant women in labor, and practice characteristics on emotional burnout. We measure emotional burnout using the Professional Quality of Life (PROQOL) Emotional Burnout subscale. Models reveal that work-family conflict and overwork increase burnout among MSWs, while emotional intelligence is associated with lower levels of burnout. Witnessing a higher frequency of ethical mistreatment is associated with higher levels of burnout, especially with respect to violations of informed consent. MSWs that work in environments where a larger percentage of deliveries occur via cesarean section also report higher levels of burnout. We discuss the implications of the findings for research on secondary trauma and for the quality of healthcare delivery in maternity care.

Authors

• Miriam Naiman-Sessions

• Megan Henley, University of Arizona

• Louise Marie Roth, University of Arizona