Effect of Balint Group on Burnout and Self-efficacy of Nurse Leaders in China: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Background: Burnout is common among nurses and is related to negative outcomes of medical care. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of Balint group activities in burnout reduction among nurse leaders in a Chinese hospital. Methods: This was a randomised controlled trial with a pre- and post-test. A total of 80 nurse leaders were randomly assigned to either a Balint group (n=40) or a non-Balint group (n=40). Participants in the Balint group completed Balint training for a period of three months. Participants in both groups completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI) and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) at the beginning and end of the study. Balint group members also completed the Group Climate Questionnaire-Short Form. Results: In the Balint group, 33 participants attended all sessions of the Balint intervention, and in the non-Balint group, all 40 participants completed the study. Analysis of variance with repeated measures demonstrated a statistically significant difference on the MBI subscale of personal accomplishment (F=9.598, p=0.003) between the Balint and non-Balint groups. However, there were no significant differences between the groups on the MBI subscales of emotional exhaustion (F=0.110, p=0.740) and depersonalization (F=0.75, p=0.387), and the GSES (F=0.709, p=0.403). Conclusions: Balint group helped reduce burnout among nurse leaders, especially to personal accomplishment.