Search

Background: Burnout and job satisfaction in psychiatrists has been an area of considerable interest. Longitudinal studies on the subject are lacking, rendering it difficult to establish whether burnout changes with time or whether low job satisfaction may predict high burnout with time in psychiatrists., Aims: This longitudinal study of burnout and job satisfaction in a cohort of New Zealand psychiatrists was conducted to examine if initial scores on the Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) predicted scores on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) three years later and vice versa., Methods: Three questionnaires (a socio-demographic questionnaire, the JDS and the MBI) were sent to all registered psychiatrists in 2008, which included all those who had participated in a study three years earlier. Scores on these three questionnaires were compared for those who had participated in both studies., Results: The overall number of psychiatrists reporting a high level of emotional exhaustion (EE) did not change across the two phases. The number of psychiatrists reporting high levels of depersonalization (DP) increased from 31 (13%) to 45 (20.2%); the mean DP score for the cohort significantly increased by 17.5% (p < .01). Those reporting reduced personal accomplishment (PA) increased from 90 (37.7%) to 98 (43.9%); the mean PA score for the cohort significantly reduced by 14.5% (p < .001). Low scores on skill variety, task Identity, and feedback of the JDS were significantly correlated with high EE scores three years later, whereas low scores on skill variety were significantly correlated with high scores on DP, and low scores on task significance and feedback were correlated with low scores on PA three years later., Conclusions: Paying attention to aspects of job satisfaction may assist us in developing specific interventions for psychiatrists who may score high on different dimensions of burnout.

Background: Many studies have looked at sources of stress in psychiatrists, yet the role played by different factors in the causation of burnout in psychiatrists remains unclear. We had two aims, first, to develop a predictive model for the onset of burnout. Second, we aimed to study the differences in the perception of what caused stress between psychiatrists who rated themselves high on Emotional Exhaustion compared to those who rated themselves as low on Emotional Exhaustion.Methods: A previously described questionnaire that identified stressors relevant to consultant psychiatrists was mailed out to 426 psychiatrists, with 240 replies. Scores on the Emotional Exhaustion dimension of the Maslach Burnout Inventory were available for 131 respondents.Results: Based on an earlier literature review, the Sources of Stress Questionnaire (SOS-Q) used in the study had 45 factors, categorized into predisposing, precipitating, perpetuating and protective factors for burnout in psychiatrists. Of these, factor analysis identified 11 non-correlated factors which were used in the final analysis of this study. Four factors emerged as associated with burnout in psychiatrists in New Zealand: too much work; working long hours; an aggressive administrative environment; and lacking support from management. Two factors negatively correlated with Emotional Exhaustion were a high level of job satisfaction and/or enjoyment, and low pay compared to other countries.Conclusions: Most factors associated with burnout are preventable and can be managed jointly between psychiatrists and administrators. Service providers need to address burnout seriously. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]