Does role stress predict burnout over time among health care professionals?

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to test the effects over time of three role stress variables (role conflict, role ambiguity and role overload) on the three burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment). Based on theoretical models on burnout and on meta-analytical research, it is hypothesized that the three role stress variables will predict changes over time in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, but not in personal accomplishment. The results obtained by means of hierarchical regression analysis partially support the hypothesis. The three role stress variables predict emotional exhaustion over time. Role conflict and role overload predict depersonalization over time. Finally, contrary to expectations, role ambiguity predicts personal accomplishment over time.

Work-Family Conflict among Junior Physicians: Its Mediating Role in the Relationship between Role Overload and Emotional Exhaustion

“…There are evidences from previous studies that physicians experience emotional exhaustion (Greenglass et al, 2003;Peiro et al, 2001;Maslach, 1993). The emotional exhaustion experienced has been associated with various organizational outcomes such as turnover, lack of organizational commitment and withdrawal behavior (Alacacioglu et al, 2009).…”

Relationship between Burnout and Role Stressors Experienced by Professions at Centers for Independent Living in the United States

“…Another study found that role conflict was a significant predictor of the experience of burnout among 82 workplace counselors [15]. Similarly, burnout may correlate with role conflict and role ambiguity [25]. Multiple regression analyses led to the conclusion that role conflict and role ambiguity accounted for more than 60% of the explained variance in burnout among staff caring for elderly dementia patients [1].…”

“…It refers to feelings of inadequate personal achievement, accompanied by a diminished sense of self-esteem [12], a tendency to evaluate oneself negatively [6] [21], and reduced commitment of professionals to their work [25].…”

Socio-emotional and operational demands on service employees

“…Although Lee and Ashforth (1996) do not capture role overload directly, they do report a significant meta-correlation between the conceptually similar 'workload' construct and emotional exhaustion. In fact, it is rare that a study is able to find significant results between all three of the task-related role stressors under investigation here, with role conflict seeming to be the most consistent contributor to emotional exhaustion (see for example Sethi, Barrier and King, 1999;, Fogarty, Singh, Rhoads, and Moore;2000;, Peiro et al (2001;Posig and Kickul 2003;Bhanugopan and Fish, 2006;Zapf et al ( 2007). In contrast, Stordeur et al (2001) report that role conflict is not related to emotional exhaustion when modeled simultaneously with socio-emotional demands.…”

“…When resources cannot be regained, people experience stress and burnout. The conservation of resources theory is not new to the research field, and is used to study emotional labor and burnout (Brotheridge & Lee, (2002) In the context of operational demands; role stressors (resource demands) comprise three separate but related constructs; role overload, role ambiguity and role conflict (Kahn, 1980;Schaubroeck Cotton and Jennings, 1989;Kelloway and Barling, 1990;Peiro et al, 2001;Peterson, Smith, Akande, Ayestaran, et al, 1995). Role overload exists when role expectations are greater than the individual's abilities and motivation to perform a task (Schaubroeck, et al, 1989;Spector and Jex, 1998;Conley and Woosley, 2000).…”