Burnout and stress in group of psychiatrists: workload and non-professional-social predictors

The aim of this research is to present the search for psychosocial predictors explaining the strength of perceived stress in psychiatrists and the search for associations between stress and occupational burnout in psychiatrists. The authors also searched for associations between organizational, workload, family and non-professional - social factors and the intensity of occupational stress.

The group of 131 doctors - specialists in psychiatry, aged 27-86 years - took part in the study. The participants completed 3 questionnaires, i.e., the Sociodemographic Questionnaire, the Link Burnout Questionnaire (LBQ) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10).

The results indicated that significant predictors of the development of occupational stress for psychiatrists were psychophysical exhaustion and lack of a sense of professional efficacy. Taking holidays (several times a year, pursuing the passions and interests), and having a stable family relationship (marriage or civil partnership) were also prominent among the predictors of stress.

Occupational stress and burnout in the work of the surveyed psychiatrists appeared to be a high intensity phenomenon. These results indicate the need to spread preventive health care also in the work of psychiatrists. Mainly in terms of maintaining the right balance between work and rest, which can help to reduce stress levels and protect against further development of burnout syndrome. Family resources such as a stable marriage or partnership may also be a protective factor against the build-up of stress and burnout in psychiatrists (mainly female). In addition, professional resources (work experience measured by number of years of work) is also important in explaining stress levels in psychiatrists. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(3):379-95.