Psychosocial Factors Associated with Burnout and Self-Perceived Health in Spanish Occupational Therapists

Abstract

(1) Background: There are few studies of burnout syndrome (BS) in occupational therapists (OTs), and protective factors for BS have received little attention in the scientific literature. This research aimed to estimate the prevalence of BS, characterize the associated psychosocial factors, and analyze their relationship with health in a sample of Spanish OTs. (2) Methods: A total of 127 therapists completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and other standardized questionnaires measuring: personality traits (reduced five-factor personality inventory, NEO-FFI), coping styles (Coping Strategies Questionnaire, CAE), work-family conflict (Survey Work-Home Interaction Nijmegen, SWING), professional factors (role ambiguity/clarity and modified role conflict questionnaires), and the perception of health (Goldberg’s General Health Questionnaire). Several correlational and multiple regression analyses were performed to study the psychosocial predictors of burnout and its relationship with health perceptions. (3) Results: 15.8% of the professionals presented BS, with emotional exhaustion (EE; 38.7%) being the most compromised dimension. Neuroticism, role conflict, negative work-family interaction, and open emotional expression (OE) significantly predicted a higher EE. The main predictors of cynicism (CY) were being male, role conflict, and OE. Role conflict, role ambiguity and social support-seeking were significant predictors of reduced professional efficiency (PE). (4) Conclusions: A high percentage of OTs with BS suggests the need for increased awareness of the importance of this syndrome in the health community. It would be critical to consider the protective factors (i.e., emotional management, social support) that help promote OTs’ well-being and health.

El burnout en terapeutas ocupacionales

“…Existen pocos estudios sobre el síndrome de burnout (SB) en terapeutas ocupacionales (TO), y los factores protectores para el SB han recibido poca atención en la literatura científica. Esta investigación (1) tuvo como objetivo estimar la prevalencia del SB, caracterizar los factores psicosociales asociados y analizar su relación con la salud en una muestra de TO españoles. Un total de 127 terapeutas completaron el Inventario de Burnout de Maslach (MBI) y otros cuestionarios estandarizados que miden: rasgos de personalidad (Inventario de personalidad reducido de cinco factores, NEO-FFI), estilos de afrontamiento (Cuestionario de estrategias de afrontamiento, CAE), trabajo -conflicto familiar (Survey Work-Home Interaction Nijmegen, SWING), factores profesionales (Cuestionarios de ambigüedad/claridad de roles y conflicto de roles modificado) y la percepción de la salud (Cuestionario de Salud General de Goldberg).…”