Predicting burnout in Australian mental health professionals: uncertainty tolerance, impostorism and psychological inflexibility

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective A high proportion of mental healthcare professionals experience burnout, which can impair wellbeing, lead to job withdrawal, and negatively impact client care. This study investigated the role of uncertainty tolerance, impostorism and psychological inflexibility in burnout in mental health clinicians. Method The sample consisted of 252 Australian mental health professionals, aged between 23 and 70 years (M = 38.87, SD = 10.65) and comprised primarily of psychologists (71.4.%). Participants completed a cross-sectional survey measuring burnout, dispositional intolerance of uncertainty, client care intolerance of uncertainty, psychological flexibility and impostorism. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to predict burnout. Results The regression model was significant and explained 47% of the variance in burnout. The predictor variables that contributed significantly to the model were dispositional intolerance of uncertainty, client care intolerance of uncertainty and psychological inflexibility. Gender, age, years of experience and impostorism did not contribute significantly to the model. Conclusions Intervention programs that specifically target dispositional intolerance of uncertainty, client care intolerance of uncertainty and psychological inflexibility may offer the potential to decrease burnout in mental health professionals.