Abstract
This study was an examination of the relationship between emotional dissonance and burnout among therapists working in rehabilitation hospitals. The mediating effects of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue were verified through structural equation modeling. The participants were 204 therapists working at rehabilitation hospitals located in a metropolitan area, and they completed the Emotional Dissonance Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and the Professional Quality of Life Scale. The results are as follows. First, emotional dissonance, compassion satisfaction, and compassion fatigue had significant correlations with burnout. Second, mediating effects of compassion satisfaction/fatigue were found in the relationship between emotional dissonance and burnout. Consequently, emotional dissonance had both direct and indirect effects on burnout. Lastly, this study’s implications, limitations and suggestions for future study are presented.
Highlights
Rehabilitation refers to all therapeutic interventions performed in an effort to improve and maintain optimal sensory, physical, cognitive, psychological and social performance in persons with disabilities; rehabilitation encompasses the full range of treatment to recover patients’ quality of life (QoL)
The participants were 204 therapists working at rehabilitation hospitals located in a metropolitan area, and they completed the Emotional Dissonance Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and the Professional Quality of Life Scale
We found that emotional dissonance had a significant negative correlation with compassion satisfaction and a significant positive correlation with compassion fatigue
Summary
Rehabilitation refers to all therapeutic interventions performed in an effort to improve and maintain optimal sensory, physical, cognitive, psychological and social performance in persons with disabilities; rehabilitation encompasses the full range of treatment to recover patients’ quality of life (QoL). Therapists in rehabilitation hospitals often experience burnout (Lloyd & King, 2001), especially when a patient’s recovery is slow and the patient or caregivers feel stress about the process (Kim, 1987). This is especially true considering that the main purpose of rehabilitation hospitals is continuous and intensive rehabilitation of patients after the acute phase of injury (Korea Health Industry Development Institute, 2005). Researchers have described how therapists who are experiencing burnout can experience gradual deterioration in their therapeutic skills and abilities and how burnout can lead to potential incompetence (Cherniss, 1980; Seo, 2012; Suh & Kim, 2002; Yoo & Park, 2002); burnout in this way prevents therapists from effectively using their expertise in providing services, and there have been reports of burnouts in nurses (Ahn, Yea, & Yeum, 2011), physical therapists (Kim, 2014), and occupational therapists (Lee & Jung, 2016)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
