Occupational stress, burnout, and job satisfaction amongst Spanish speech-language pathologists

The current research aimed to determine the prevalence and the relationships between perceived stress, burnout, and job satisfaction among practicing speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in Spain. In addition, their perspectives and experiences related to their job were explored.

A mixed methods research design was used with cross-sectional quantitative and qualitative methodology. Four hundred and thirty-eight SLPs completed the Perceived Stress Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and the Font Roja Job Satisfaction Questionnaire in order to report perceived stress, burnout, and job satisfaction, respectively. Ten SLPs participated in semi-structured interviews.

With respect to stress, 61.6% of SLPs reported a moderate level of stress and 18.7% reported a high level of stress. With respect to burnout, only 7.56% of the participants met the criteria commonly used for its diagnosis. However, 45.2% of SLPs reported a high level of emotional exhaustion, and 52.7% expressed a low degree of personal accomplishment. Job satisfaction was average for 94% of SLPs and high for just 1% of participants. The level of job satisfaction was significantly related to job stress, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalisation. Qualitative content analyses produced themes and subthemes regarding work recognition, relationships with people in the workplace, work conditions, and job control.

A noteworthy percentage of SLPs reported emotional exhaustion and reduced personal achievement. Findings suggest that strengthening job control and social support might become protective factors to avoid the full development of burnout, which should impact positively on an individual's wellbeing and, in turn, the quality of the services provided.