Supervision Practices and Burnout Among Psychiatric Nurses in State Psychiatric Hospitals in Edo State, South South Nigeria

Clinical supervision is an evidence-based strategy for reducing burnout and sustaining professional competence among psychiatric nurses, yet its implementation in Nigerian psychiatric hospitals is poorly documented. This study examines the relationship between supervision practices and burnout among psychiatric nurses at two state psychiatric hospitals in Edo State, South South Nigeria. A cross-sectional design will recruit 140 nurses through total enumeration. The Manchester Clinical Supervision Scale (MCSS-26) will assess the quality and frequency of clinical supervision, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) will measure burnout. Sociodemographic variables including ward assignment, years of experience, and professional grade will be analyzed. Pearson correlation and multiple regression will examine the supervision-burnout relationship. Existing literature from Nigerian psychiatric facilities suggests that many nurses report infrequent, poorly structured supervision that fails to address emotional labor or clinical skill development. This study will generate evidence to support the reform of supervision practices in Edo State psychiatric hospitals and contribute to national guidelines for psychiatric nursing workforce management. Keywords: supervision, burnout, psychiatric nurses, Edo State, workforce management