Effect of role stress, resilience, and professional identity on burnout in dental hygienists

Objectives: This study aimed to identify measures that can improve the quality of dental hygienists’ work by analyzing the effects of role stress, resilience, and professional identity on burnout. Methods: Self-report questionnaires were administered to 339 dental hygienists working in dental institutions located in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeong-gi, South Korea from August 1 to September 30, 2017. Results: Out of a maximum of 5 points, role stress scored an average of 2.80, resilience scored 3.61, professional identity scored 3.27, and burnout scored 2.78. The factor that most affected the exhaustion of dental hygienists was professional identity (β=-0.397), followed by role stress (β=0.251), and resilience (β=-0.150). Conclusions: The results showed that the role stress, resilience, and professional identity of dental hygienists affected burnout. Efforts to reinforce the resilience and professional identity of dental hygienists may be needed alongside efforts to reduce role stress. Hence, resilience reinforcement programs alongside supplemental education programs that reinforce the work skills required of dental hygienists according to their clinical experience after graduation should be developed.