Effect of Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy Program on the Symptoms of Burnout Syndrome Among Undergraduate Electronics Work Students in Nigeria

This research aimed to investigate the effect that rational-emotive behavior therapy had on the symptoms of burnout among undergraduate electronics work students in Southeast Nigeria. This study utilized a pretest–posttest design involving a no-intervention group versus an intervention group. Participants were 124 undergraduate electronics work students who met the inclusion criteria of the study. The intervention consisted of 12 weeks of rational-emotive behavior therapy treatment and 2 weeks of follow-up meetings conducted at 6 months. Self-report questionnaire was used for data collection. Repeated measures analysis of variance and t test were used for data analysis. The results show that rational-emotive behavior therapy had a significant effect on the symptoms of burnout syndrome among the electronics work students in the treatment group compared to their counterparts in the no-intervention group. Finally, the positive gains were significantly maintained by the treatment group at the follow-up. The current study suggests that rational-emotive behavior therapy program can be effective for dealing with burnout syndrome among the population of undergraduates in Nigeria. Further clinical evaluation is needed.

[1]  A. Bakker,et al.  Burnout and Engagement in University Students , 2002 .

[2]  U Walter,et al.  [Preventing burnout? A systematic review of effectiveness of individual and combined approaches]. , 2012, Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz.

[3]  I. Deary,et al.  A longitudinal cohort study of burnout and attrition in nursing students. , 2003, Journal of advanced nursing.

[4]  Ana Lúcia Siqueira Costa,et al.  Hardy personality and burnout syndrome among nursing students in three Brazilian universities—an analytic study , 2014, BMC Nursing.

[5]  F. Zitman,et al.  Biomarkers in burnout: a systematic review. , 2011, Journal of psychosomatic research.

[6]  Thomas A. Jarrett Warrior Resilience Training in Operation Iraqi Freedom: combining rational emotive behavior therapy, resiliency, and positive psychology. , 2008, U.S. Army Medical Department journal.

[7]  Christina Maslach,et al.  Burnout: 35 years of research and practice , 2009 .

[8]  S. Brand,et al.  The relationship between meeting vigorous physical activity recommendations and burnout symptoms among adolescents: an exploratory study with vocational students. , 2015, Journal of sport & exercise psychology.

[9]  Wilmar B. Schaufeli,et al.  The factorial validity of the Maslach Burnout Inventory‐General Survey (MBI‐GS) across occupational groups and nations , 2000 .

[10]  Bethany Howlett An investigation of the relationship between general belief patterns and well-being , 1994 .

[11]  M. Kuittinen,et al.  The effect of study‐related burnout on student perceptions , 2011 .

[12]  U. Walter,et al.  Burnout prevention: a review of intervention programs. , 2010, Patient education and counseling.

[13]  Faith C. Omeke,et al.  Effects of a rational-emotive health education intervention on stress management and irrational beliefs among technical college teachers in Southeast Nigeria , 2017, Medicine.

[14]  M. Hagen,et al.  Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. , 2002, The American psychologist.

[15]  Boris Popov,et al.  Adverse Working Conditions, Job Insecurity and Occupational Stress: The Role of (Ir)rational Beliefs , 2013 .

[16]  Jamie B. Barker,et al.  Examining the Efficacy of Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) on Irrational Beliefs and Anxiety in Elite Youth Cricketers , 2013 .

[17]  F. Bond,et al.  Handbook of Brief Cognitive Behaviour Therapy , 2002 .

[18]  Resilience and Rationality , 2007 .

[19]  G. Lunardi,et al.  Burnout syndrome among undergraduate nursing students at a public university. , 2014, Revista latino-americana de enfermagem.

[20]  S. Brand,et al.  Adolescents with high mental toughness adapt better to perceived stress: A longitudinal study with Swiss vocational students , 2013 .

[21]  Edgar Erdfelder,et al.  G*Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences , 2007, Behavior research methods.

[22]  Christina Maslach,et al.  Burnout: A Multidimensional Perspective , 1993 .

[23]  W. Schaufeli,et al.  The Factorial Validity of the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Student Survey in China , 2009, Psychological reports.

[24]  J. Martín-Fernández,et al.  Effectiveness of an intervention for prevention and treatment of burnout in primary health care professionals , 2013, BMC Family Practice.

[25]  C. Nucci The Rational Teacher: Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy in Teacher Education , 2002 .

[26]  Professional Nursing Burnout and Irrational Thinking: A Replication Study , 2012, Journal for nurses in staff development : JNSD : official journal of the National Nursing Staff Development Organization.

[27]  S. Hanton,et al.  What Is This Thing Called Mental Toughness? An Investigation of Elite Sport Performers , 2002 .

[28]  T. C. Ogbuanya,et al.  Effect of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy on Negative Career Thoughts of Students in Technical Colleges in Nigeria , 2018, Psychological reports.

[29]  I. Deary,et al.  A study of stress and burnout in nursing students in Hong Kong: a questionnaire survey. , 2008, International journal of nursing studies.

[30]  U. Walter,et al.  Burn-out wirksam prävenieren? , 2012, Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz.

[31]  Baron Perlman,et al.  Burnout: Summary and Future Research , 1982 .

[32]  Mark D. Terjesen,et al.  Rational emotive behavior therapy: applications for working with parents and teachers , 2009 .

[33]  P. Clough,et al.  During early and mid-adolescence, greater mental toughness is related to increased sleep quality and quality of life , 2016, Journal of health psychology.

[34]  See Ching Mey,et al.  The effect of integrating rational emotive behavior therapy and art therapy on self-esteem and resilience , 2013 .

[35]  Amaka B. Ikechukwu-Ilomuanya,et al.  Effects of Cognitive Restructuring Intervention Program of Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy on Adverse Childhood Stress in Nigeria , 2016 .

[36]  P. Clough,et al.  Are adolescents with high mental toughness levels more resilient against stress? , 2013, Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress.

[37]  Marisa Salanova,et al.  Can a self-efficacy-based intervention decrease burnout, increase engagement, and enhance performance? A quasi-experimental study , 2011 .

[38]  Juliana Inhauser,et al.  A síndrome de burnout em graduandos de enfermagem Burnout syndrome in nursing undergraduate students , 2007 .

[39]  A. Muhammad The Role of Religion in Conscience Reawakening of the Youth , 2016 .

[40]  M. Börjesson,et al.  Changes in mental health in compliers and non-compliers with physical activity recommendations in patients with stress-related exhaustion , 2015, BMC Psychiatry.

[41]  C. Gibbons Stress, coping and burn-out in nursing students. , 2010, International journal of nursing studies.

[42]  S. Jackson,et al.  The Measurement of experienced burnout , 1981 .

[43]  S. Brand,et al.  The Relationship between Mental Toughness, Stress, and Burnout among Adolescents: A Longitudinal Study with Swiss Vocational Students , 2015, Psychological reports.

[44]  N. Zare,et al.  The Effect of Educational-Spiritual Intervention on The Burnout of The Parents of School Age Children with Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial , 2016, International journal of community based nursing and midwifery.

[45]  H. Freudenberger Staff burn-out , 1974 .

[46]  P. Balevre PROFESSIONAL NURSING BURNOUT AND IRRATIONAL THINKING , 2001, Journal for nurses in staff development : JNSD : official journal of the National Nursing Staff Development Organization.

[47]  S. Brand,et al.  Burnout and Mental Health in Swiss Vocational Students: The Moderating Role of Physical Activity , 2015 .

[48]  Thomas A. Jarrett Warrior Resilience and Thriving (WRT): Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) as a Resiliency and Thriving Foundation to Prepare Warriors and Their Families for Combat Deployment and Posttraumatic Growth in Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2005–2009 , 2013 .