Burnout in mental health professionals: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence and determinants

Abstract

This study aimed to estimate the level of burnout in mental health professionals and to identify specific determinants of burnout in this population. A systematic search of MEDLINE/PubMed, PsychINFO/Ovid, Embase, CINAHL/EBSCO and Web of Science was conducted for original research published between 1997 and 2017. Sixty-two studies were identified as meeting the study criteria for the systematic review. Data on the means, standard deviations, and prevalence of the dimensions of burnout were extracted from 33 studies and included in the meta-analysis (n = 9409). The overall estimated pooled prevalence for emotional exhaustion was 40% (CI 31%-48%) for depersonalisation was 22% (CI 15%-29%) and for low levels of personal accomplishment was 19% (CI 13%-25%). The random effects estimate of the mean scores on the Maslach Burnout Inventory indicate that the average mental health professional has high levels of emotional exhaustion [mean 21.11 (95% CI 19.98, 22.24)], moderate levels of depersonalisation [mean 6.76 (95% CI 6.11, 7.42)] but retains reasonable levels of personal accomplishment [mean 34.60 (95% CI 32.99, 36.21)]. Increasing age was found to be associated with an increased risk of depersonalisation but also a heightened sense of personal accomplishment. Work-related factors such as workload and relationships at work, are key determinants for burnout, while role clarity, a sense of professional autonomy, a sense of being fairly treated, and access to regular clinical supervision appear to be protective. Staff working in community mental health teams may be more vulnerable to burnout than those working in some specialist community teams, e.g., assertive outreach, crisis teams.

Demographic, occupational, and societal features associated with burnout among medical oncology staff members: Cross‐sectional results of a Cancer Center in Beijing, China

“…The EE burnout of working as doctor and nurse, native‐born and permanent staffs, frequent night shift, and less family or friend parties were more sever in comparison. Connor et al reported that a sense of professional autonomy and being fairly treated were connected to EE. Chico‐Barba et al also found a significant association between night shift and EE.…”

Burnout in radiation therapists: Systematic review with meta‐analysis

“…The job expectations of a radiation therapist, working practices and extent to which opportunities for professional development exist can be expected to differ across geographical regions. Furthermore, factors that vary between workplaces such as access to clinical supervision, workload, relationships at work, role clarity, professional autonomy or sense of being fairly treated may influence the heterogeneity of burnout, likewise to what was observed in other studies pertaining to different health professionals (Cañadas‐De la Fuente et al, ; O'Connor et al, ; Trufelli et al, ).…”

“…In what concerns the levels of burnout observed, the estimated pooled prevalence of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment for radiation therapists were 38.7%, 21.5% and 28%, respectively, which must be interpreted with caution due to the small number of studies available. To allow a comparison with other studies, a meta-analysis of burnout in mental health professionals reported the corresponding proportions to be 40% for EE, 22% for DP and 19% for PA (O'Connor, Muller Neff, & Pitman, 2018), whereas a meta-analysis of burnout in cancer professionals reported 36% for EE, 34% for DP and 25% for PA (Trufelli et al, 2008). A meta-analysis of health professionals working in palliative care reported 17.5% for EE, 6.5% for DP and 19.5% for PA (Parola, Coelho, Cardoso, Sandgren, & Apóstolo, 2017), and a meta-analysis of burnout in oncology nursing reported 30% for EE, 35% for DP and 35% for PA (Cañadas-De la Fuente et al, 2018).…”

Health care disparities, provider bias, and provider burnout

“…The study did not directly measure burnout in mental health providers; however, other studies have shown that 40% of mental health providers suffer from burnout (O'Connor et al, 2018), indicating that the trends seen in residents may be generalizable to mental health providers.…”