Type D personality and job burnout: The moderating role of physical activity

Abstract

Type D or “distressed” personality (TDP) is the tendency to experience a high amount of negative affectivity (NA) and social inhibition (SI) together. This study was designed to test whether TDP is associated with job burnout and the degree to which physical activity attenuates the TDP-burnout association. Participants (n=455, 63% men) completed questionnaires during periodic health examinations. Burnout was assessed by the Shirom-Melamed burnout measure. TPD was assessed by the DS14. Regression analyses treated TDP as a dimensional construct, using the subscales NA and SI as continuous variables and defining TDP by their interactive term. Age, gender, education, and chronic medical disease were controlled. NA, SI and their interactive term were positively associated with burnout. Additionally, a significant interactive effect was found for NA/SI and physical activity. Respondents who scored high on NA or SI and who were highly engaged in physical activity had less burnout compared to those with low engagement in physical activity. The results suggest TDP is positively associated with job burnout, and that physical activity might be a protective mechanism in this association.