Emotional burnout syndrome and mental health indices in the coal industry workers

Abstract

Introduction. Emotional burnout is a condition common among workers of “assisting” occupations. In workers of the main professions in the coal industry, the frequency of emotional burnout has not been studied enough, especially in terms of its relationship with mental health indices: the presence of sub-depression, negative affectivity, and social inhibition. The purpose of the survey was studying the prevalence of emotional burnout syndrome and its relationship with the development of sub-depression, negative affectivity and social inhibition in the coal industry workers with occupational diseases. Materials and methods. Two hundred forty seven miners with occupational diseases (dust lung pathology, diseases of the musculoskeletal system, vibration disease) were examined using questionnaires (DS14, by V.V. Boyko, and N.I. Vlakh). Results. 38.9% of the workers had emotional burnout syndrome. A reliable relationship between the emotional burnout syndrome and the development of sub-depression, negative affectivity and social inhibition was determined. Limitations. The survey is limited to a sample of 247 miners with occupational diseases examined using questionnaires (DS14, by V.V. Boyko, and N.I. Vlakh). Conclusion. Coal industry workers are subject to developing emotional burnout syndrome, the prevalence of which is 38.9%. The emotional burnout syndrome is interrelated with the development of sub-depression, negative affectivity and social inhibition, the incidence of which reaches a maximum in the exhaustion phase of burnout.