Emotional Exhaustion Symptoms Research Articles

Emotional intelligence as a moderator in the relationship between negative emotions and emotional exhaustion among employees in service sector occupations

AbstractTraditionally, most of the research on occupational burnout has focused on organizational stressors, such as workload and time pressure, and has overlooked the emotional nature of customer service work and its effect on burnout. This study was designed to examine the effects of individuals’ affective traits (i.e., dispositional affectivity and emotional intelligence) and affective states (i.e., emotions experienced at work) on burnout. The main hypothesis of this study was that emotional intelligence acts as a moderator in the relationship between negative emotions felt by employees during their interactions with clients and emotional exhaustion. A total of 137 service sector employees rated the extent to which they felt four positive emotions (i.e., contentment, enthusiasm, joy, and liking) and four negative emotions (i.e., irritation, annoyance, antipathy, and anger) while interacting with clients. The results indicated that negative affectivity was significantly associated with higher levels of emotional exhaustion, whereas high positive affectivity showed the reverse pattern. It was also observed that employees who declared greater intensity of negative emotions reported more symptoms of emotional exhaustion. However, as predicted, this effect was observed only among employees who were low in the trait of emotional intelligence. Negative emotions and emotional exhaustion were unrelated among employees who were high in trait emotional intelligence.

G49 Resilience, Post-Traumatic Stress, Burnout and Coping in Medical Staff on the Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (P/NICU) – A Survey

AimsWorking on intensive care (ICU) can be stressful, Adult-ICU studies demonstrate staff burnout and post-traumatic stress disorder, (PTSD) although resilience is associated with a healthier psychological state in ICU nurses....

Effects of Duty Hour Restrictions on Core Competencies, Education, Quality of Life, and Burnout Among General Surgery Interns

To measure the implications of the new Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education duty hour regulations for education, well-being, and burnout. Longitudinal study. Eleven university-based general surgery residency programs from July 2011 to May 2012. Two hundred thirteen surgical interns. Perceptions of the impact of the new duty hours on various aspects of surgical training, including the 6 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core competencies, were measured on 3-point scales. Quality of life, burnout, balance between personal and professional life, and career satisfaction were measured using validated instruments. Half of all interns felt that the duty hour changes have decreased the coordination of patient care (53%), their ability to achieve continuity with hospitalized patients (70%), and their time spent in the operating room (57%). Less than half (44%) of interns believed that the new standards have decreased resident fatigue. In longitudinal analysis, residents' beliefs had significantly changed in 2 categories: less likely to believe that practice-based learning and improvement had improved and more likely to report no change to resident fatigue (P < .01, χ2 tests). The majority (82%) of residents reported a neutral or good overall quality of life. Compared with the normal US population, 50 interns (32%) were 0.5 SD less than the mean on the 8-item Short Form Health Survey mental quality of life score. Approximately one-third of interns demonstrated weekly symptoms of emotional exhaustion (28%) or depersonalization (28%) or reported that their personal-professional balance was either "very poor" or "not great" (32%). Although many interns (67%) reported that they daily or weekly reflect on their satisfaction from being a surgeon, 1 in 7 considered giving up their career as a surgeon on at least a weekly basis. The first cohort of surgical interns to train under the new regulations report decreased continuity with patients, coordination of patient care, and time spent in the operating room. Furthermore, suboptimal quality of life, burnout, and thoughts of giving up surgery were common, even under the new paradigm of reduced work hours.

The Emotional Wellness of Radiology Trainees: Prevalence and Predictors of Burnout

Burnout is a complex phenomenon characterized by emotional exhaustion, social detachment, and feelings of low personal achievement. In this study, we aim to establish the prevalence of burnout among radiology trainees and to explore the factors influencing its development. Survey data were collected from 266 trainee members of the Association of University Radiologists to assess financial status, attitudes toward money and compensation, and burnout symptomology. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze these data. Most radiology residents reported high levels of personal achievement but routine symptoms of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Although increasing levels of household debt were correlated with symptoms of depersonalization and lower reported quality of life, we found that the subjective financial experience was a more reliable indicator of emotional well-being. Specifically, higher subjective self-assessments of financial strain were the best predictors of symptoms of depersonalization (P < .0001), emotional exhaustion (P < .0001), and lower self-reported quality of life (P < .0001). Additionally, residents with recent moonlighting activity reported higher levels of personal achievement (P < .05), lower levels of emotional exhaustion (P < .05), and greater quality of life (P < .05) when compared to non-moonlighters. The unique nature of radiology training could mean that traditional assumptions regarding the development of trainee burnout do not necessarily apply. Finances may be an underappreciated influence on resident burnout, and subjective feelings of financial scarcity could outweigh the impact of objective indebtedness. Further study is needed to ensure that the emotional well-being of radiology trainees is optimally supported.

Quality of Life, Burnout, Educational Debt, and Medical Knowledge Among Internal Medicine Residents

Physician distress is common and has been associated with negative effects on patient care. However, factors associated with resident distress and well-being have not been well described at a national level. To measure well-being in a national sample of internal medicine residents and to evaluate relationships with demographics, educational debt, and medical knowledge. Study of internal medicine residents using data collected on 2008 and 2009 Internal Medicine In-Training Examination (IM-ITE) scores and the 2008 IM-ITE survey. Participants were 16,394 residents, representing 74.1% of all eligible US internal medicine residents in the 2008-2009 academic year. This total included 7743 US medical graduates and 8571 international medical graduates. Quality of life (QOL) and symptoms of burnout were assessed, as were year of training, sex, medical school location, educational debt, and IM-ITE score reported as percentage of correct responses. Quality of life was rated "as bad as it can be" or "somewhat bad" by 2402 of 16,187 responding residents (14.8%). Overall burnout and high levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were reported by 8343 of 16,192 (51.5%), 7394 of 16,154 (45.8%), and 4541 of 15,737 (28.9%) responding residents, respectively. In multivariable models, burnout was less common among international medical graduates than among US medical graduates (45.1% vs 58.7%; odds ratio, 0.70 [99% CI, 0.63-0.77]; P < .001). Greater educational debt was associated with the presence of at least 1 symptom of burnout (61.5% vs 43.7%; odds ratio, 1.72 [99% CI, 1.49-1.99]; P < .001 for debt >$200,000 relative to no debt). Residents reporting QOL "as bad as it can be" and emotional exhaustion symptoms daily had mean IM-ITE scores 2.7 points (99% CI, 1.2-4.3; P < .001) and 4.2 points (99% CI, 2.5-5.9; P < .001) lower than those with QOL "as good as it can be" and no emotional exhaustion symptoms, respectively. Residents reporting debt greater than $200,000 had mean IM-ITE scores 5.0 points (99% CI, 4.4-5.6; P < .001) lower than those with no debt. These differences were similar in magnitude to the 4.1-point (99% CI, 3.9-4.3) and 2.6-point (99% CI, 2.4-2.8) mean differences associated with progressing from first to second and second to third years of training, respectively. In this national study of internal medicine residents, suboptimal QOL and symptoms of burnout were common. Symptoms of burnout were associated with higher debt and were less frequent among international medical graduates. Low QOL, emotional exhaustion, and educational debt were associated with lower IM-ITE scores.

Psychosocial work environment and emotional exhaustion among middle-aged employees

BackgroundThis study examined the associations of job control, organizational justice and bullying at the workplace with emotional exhaustion. This was done by adjusting firstly for age and occupational class, secondly physical work factors, thirdly mutually adjusting for the three psychosocial factors and fourthly adjusting for all studied variables simultaneously.Data were derived from the Helsinki Health Study baseline surveys conducted in 2001 and 2002, including 40-60-year-old employees of the City of Helsinki (n = 5819, response rate 66%). Exhaustion was measured with a six-item subscale from Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Psychosocial factors included Karasek's job control, organizational justice and bullying at the workplace. Logistic regression analysis was used.ResultsAmong women 23% and among men 20% reported symptoms of emotional exhaustion. Among women all psychosocial factors were associated with exhaustion when adjusted for age and occupational class as confounders. When physical work factors were additionally adjusted for, the associations slightly attenuated but remained. When psychosocial work factors were simultaneously adjusted for each other, their associations with exhaustion attenuated but remained. Among men all psychosocial factors were associated with exhaustion when adjusted for confounders only. When adjusted for physical work factors the associations slightly attenuated. When psychosocial factors were simultaneously adjusted for each other, associations of organizational justice and bullying with exhaustion attenuated but remained whereas job control lost its association.ConclusionsIdentifying risk factors for emotional exhaustion is vital for preventing subsequent processes leading to burnout. Psychosocial factors are likely to contribute to exhaustion among female as well as male employees. Thus management and occupational health care should devote more attention to the psychosocial work environment in order to be able to prevent exhaustion and burnout at the workplaces.

The relationship between social capital in hospitals and emotional exhaustion in clinicians: A study in four German hospitals

About 30% of doctors working in inpatient and outpatient departments suffer from burnout, characterized, for example, by emotional exhaustion. The prevention of burnout constitutes a great challenge for those responsible for the healthcare system. Research into the relationship between social capital in hospitals and the occurrence of emotional exhaustion in clinicians is still at an early stage. The aim of the current study is to examine the effects of social capital in the workplace on the emotional exhaustion of clinicians. A questionnaire was posted to 2,644 employees working in four German hospitals, and 1,645 responded. Responses from the 277 clinicians (61%) are analyzed here. The questionnaire looked at symptoms of emotional exhaustion and levels of organizational social capital. Logistic regression identified two significant predictors of emotional exhaustion in clinicians: low self-efficacy and subjectively perceived lower levels of social capital in the hospitals where they worked. The model accounted for 26 % of Nagelkerke's R(2). Efforts to create a good working atmosphere, with the readiness to provide mutual support and the pursuit of joint values and objectives within a hospital, may reduce the development of, or even prevent, emotional exhaustion in clinicians.

Demand, control and social climate as predictors of emotional exhaustion symptoms in working Swedish men and women

Most studies on burnout have been cross-sectional and focused on specific occupations. In the present study we prospectively investigated the association between demands, control, support and conflicts as well as downsizing and emotional exhaustion in men and women derived from a representative sample of the working population in Sweden. The study comprised working men (1,511) and women (1,493), who participated in the Swedish Work Environment Survey (SWES) in 2003 and had no physical exhaustion and prior sick leave at baseline. These participants were followed up in 2006 as part of the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH). Demands, decision authority, support from fellow workers and superiors, conflicts with fellow workers and superiors, and downsizing were utilized as predictors and the Maslach Burnout Inventory subscale of emotional exhaustion as the outcome in multiple logistic regression analyses. High demands were a highly significant predictor of symptoms of emotional exhaustion (>/=75th percentile). Downsizing and lack of support from superiors were also independent predictors for men as well as lack of support from fellow workers and low decision authority for women. This study indicates that high demands, low decision authority, lack of support at work and downsizing could be important predictors of emotional exhaustion symptoms among working men and women.

Past and familial depression predict current symptoms of professional burnout

Background Despite a substantial association between professional burnout and depression, the exact nature of the relationship is unclear. It is hypothesized that an underlying susceptibility for depression is associated with an enhanced risk for professional burnout. In the present study, the relationship was examined between indices of personal and familial history of depression and current symptoms of burnout. Methods Respondents were 3385 employees of different work settings (61% female, age 18–65 years), who completed questionnaires regarding demographic variables, working hours, personal and familial history of depression, current depressive symptomatology, and current symptoms of professional burnout. Results After controlling for background variables, the strongest predictor of all three burnout facets was current depressive symptomatology. Independent of the effects of background variables and current depressive symptoms, having ever experienced a depressive episode further predicted current symptoms of two burnout facets: emotional exhaustion (OR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.38–2.40, P < 0.001) and cynicism (OR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.16–1.98, P = 0.002). In addition, a history of depression in close family members independently predicted current symptoms of emotional exhaustion (OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.27–2.10, P < 0.001), while a trend appeared for a similar effect on cynicism (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 0.96–1.58, P = 0.095). Limitations The study is based on a cross-sectional retrospective design. Conclusions A predisposition for depression, as reflected by a personal and familial history of depression, may enhance the risk for burnout.

Stress, burnout and health in the clinical period of dental education

The study examined the extent of stress, burnout and health problems experienced by fourth and fifth year dental students from the three universities of Dresden, Freiburg and Bern. The objectives of the study were to: (i) identify frequent sources of stress and to report the prevalence rates of burnout and health problems in dental students, (ii) determine the rate of students suffering from severe burnout symptoms and (iii) identify stress factors related to the burnout symptoms of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. A total of 161 dental students from Dresden, Freiburg and Bern participated in the study. They completed the Psychosocial Stress Inventory, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Health Survey Questionnaire. Frequent sources of stress were limitation of leisure time, examination anxiety and the transition stress that was related to the adaptation to the demands of the clinical phase of dental education. Few differences existed between the students of the fourth and the fifth study year. Study-related stress was lowest in Bern and considerably higher in Dresden. Differences of mean levels of burnout symptoms were found only for the burnout dimension of emotional exhaustion. Students from Dresden and Freiburg were more emotionally exhausted than students from Bern, students from Dresden also reported more health problems than students from Bern or Freiburg. Ten per cent of the dental students suffered from severe emotional exhaustion, 17% complained about a severe lack of accomplishment and 28% reported severe depersonalization symptoms. Forty-four per cent of the variance of emotional exhaustion was explained by study-related factors such as lack of leisure time, examination anxiety and transition stress. The only predictor of depersonalization was a lack of social integration, accounting for 3% of the variance. A lack of social integration may be an indicator of low social competence which may cause difficulties in dealing with patients adequately and therefore result in depersonalization. The results indicate a need to identify the group of students who may have insufficient social skills for dealing adequately with the patients, and to train them accordingly.

Psychiatric Morbidity and Burnout in the Medical Profession: An Italian Study of General Practitioners and Hospital Physicians

Background: Burnout and psychological stress symptoms represent a major problem among health care professionals. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of and the relationship between psychiatric morbidity and burnout among a convenience sample of Italian primary care physicians (GPs) and hospital physicians (HPs). Method: The sample consisted of 328 physicians (182 GPs and 146 HPs) who completed the 12-item version of the General Health Questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Results: The global prevalence of psychiatric morbidity was 22.3% (20.3% among GPs and 24.6% among HPs). Symptoms of emotional exhaustion were reported by 27.5% of the participants (GPs: 32.4%; HPs: 21.2%), depersonalization by 25.6% (GPs: 27.4%; HPs: 22.6%) and low personal accomplishment by 12.8% (GPs: 13.1%; HPs: 12.3%). No significant difference was found between the two groups, except higher levels of emotional exhaustion among GPs. Female GPs reported lower scores on MBI depersonalization and female HPs lower scores MBI personal accoplishment than male GPs and HPs, respectively. Conclusions: The study underscores the significant problem of stress among physicians and indicates the need for supporting health professionals in order to improve their psychological well-being and, possibly, the quality of their relationship with the patients.

Chronic burnout, somatic arousal and elevated salivary cortisol levels

Burnout syndrome, comprised of the symptoms of emotional exhaustion, physical fatigue, and cognitive weariness, is believed to be a result of ineffective coping with enduring stress. This study of 111 nonshift blue-collar workers free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) examined whether chronic burnout is associated with a state of somatic and physiological hyperarousal. Results showed that 37 workers exhibited symptoms of chronic burnout, with symptoms lasting at least 6 months. These workers, compared to those with no burnout symptoms (n=52) or nonchronic burnout symptoms (n=22), had higher levels of tension at work, postwork irritability, more sleep disturbances and complaints of waking up exhausted, and higher cortisol levels during the work day. These results suggest that chronic burnout is associated with heightened somatic arousal and elevated salivary cortisol levels. This may be part of the mechanism underlying the emerging association between burnout and risk of CVD.

Assessment of Job-Related Burnout among Health Education Specialists in Taiwan

This study examined the degree of job-related burnout and the relationship between burnout and gender, age, practice settings, years in the profession, and the level of religiosity among health education specialists in Taiwan. A Chinese version of Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was used to assess burnout symptoms among 184 respondents. Results indicated that younger respondents had a significantly higher degree of burnout symptoms on both emotional exhaustion and depersonalization than older respondents and female respondents had a higher score on emotional exhaustion symptoms than male counterparts. There were no other significant differences of burnout symptoms between groups concerning practice setting, years in profession, and level of religiosity. It was concluded that some health education specialists were suffering from burnout symptoms, especially women and younger professionals and there is a need for stress management training for retention and training of health education specialists.