[Professional gratification crisis, overcommitment, and burnout among Ukrainian anesthesiologists and intensive care...

Mental stress of anesthesiologists and intensive care physicians is varied and complex. Overcommitment (OC) is characterized by an excessive tendency to professional commitment, which can lead to psychological stress and consequently to psychological disorders, such as burnout. The prevalence of burnout among intensive care physicians is internationally widespread. The aim of this study was to determine OC and gratification among Ukrainian anesthesia and intensive care physicians during the SARS-CoV‑2 pandemic and to analyze the risk of burnout in this professional group, and the associations between OC and burnout.

A total of 73 Ukrainian male (47.9%) and female (52.1%) intensive care physicians participated in the survey. The mean age was 39.8 ± 10.94 years (range 23-78 years). In addition to sociodemographic and occupational data, occupational gratification was collected using the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) questionnaire with additional questions on OC, and the Maslach burnout inventory (MBI). Participants were classified and compared into groups with different OC (< 16 points and ≥ 16 points).

Of the participants 75% (55) could be classified into a group with OC < 16 points, and 18 presented an elevated OC. A significant difference in effort (13.9 ± 4.1 vs. 17.2 ± 3.6 points; p = 0.003) and ERI ratio (0.58 ± 0.2 vs. 0.77 ± 0.2; p = 0.006) was found between these two groups. In the group with OC ≥ 16 points, 50% of participants reported high emotional exhaustion (vs. 12.7% with OC < 16 points; p = 0.002), but also high performance (61.1% vs. 32.7%; p = 0.005). Overall, a burnout prevalence of 2.7% was found in the total sample, with both subjects represented in the OC < 16 points group. Higher emotional exhaustion was associated with higher OC, higher effort, and lower reward.

The study results showed high emotional exhaustion among subjects with high overcommitment and three quarters of the respondents showed symptoms of burnout. For this reason, health promotion measures and prevention should be offered to counteract the high stresses during the pandemic. These should include relationship and behavioral prevention.