Nationwide survey of work environment, work-life balance and burnout among psychiatrists in Japan

Female managers' organizational leadership during telework: experiences of job demands, control and support

The frequent use of telework during the COVID -19 pandemic has created a more challenging work situation for managers who need to lead effectively in the virtual space, this especially concerns female managers. Therefor it is of importance to investigate female managers' experiences of job related demands, control and support within this work context. Accordingly, we investigated female managers' experiences of demands, control and support in their organizational leadership during telework. The present study used a deductive, theory-driven, qualitative approach with predetermined themes defined within the demand-control-support model. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews. The female managers had at least 50% of their working hours as telework. The results showed that the female managers experienced demands in terms of hard, fast or even excessive work in order to be available and solve complex problems, and control as varied work content, new learning, planning and decision freedom. Support was experienced in terms of attentive superior manager, good cooperation and helpfulness among colleagues. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed in terms of telework situation for female managers.

Stress and burnout in the context of workplace psychosocial factors among mental health professionals during the later waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary

Background

While literature is abundant on the negative mental health impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, few studies focus on the Central and Eastern European region.

Objectives

We examined stress, burnout, and sleeping troubles among mental health professionals in the context of psychosocial risk factors related to participation in COVID care during the fourth and fifth waves.

Materials and methods

Mental health professionals (N=268) completed an online cross-sectional survey in Hungary, between November 2021 and April 2022. Of the respondents, 58.2% directly participated in COVID care. The main data collection instrument was the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ II), including 20 subscales on work-related psychosocial factors and 3 outcome scales (stress, burnout, and sleeping troubles). We added a question on competence transgression, and items on sociodemographic and professional background.

Results

Participation in COVID care was associated with higher work pace (59.08 versus 49.78), more role conflicts (55.21 versus 45.93), lower scores on the influence at work (38.18 versus 51.79), predictability (44.71 versus 57.03), reward (55.82 versus 65.03), role clarity (70.19 versus 75.37), social support from supervisor (59.24 versus 65.55), job satisfaction (54.36 versus 62.84), trust regarding management (55.89 versus 67.86), justice and respect (44.51 versus 54.35) scales. Among those involved in COVID care, only the stress score was higher (47.96 vs. 42.35) in the total sample; however, among psychiatrists, both stress (52.16 vs. 38.60) and burnout scores (58.30 vs. 47.06) were higher. Stepwise multiple regression revealed that work-family conflict, emotional demands and workplace commitment were independent predictors of higher stress and burnout scores; furthermore, competence transgression had a significant effect on stress, and being a psychiatric specialist had a significant effect on burnout. These models explained 40.5% of the variance for stress and 39.8% for burnout.

Conclusion

During the fourth and fifth waves, although COVID care was more well-organized, psychiatrists, as specialist physicians responsible for the quality of the care, were still experiencing challenges regarding their competence and influence at work, which may explain their increased levels of stress and burnout.

Factors associated with perceived work-life balance among health workers in Gulu District, Northern Uganda: a health facility-based cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION

Work-life balance (WLB) plays a significant role in improving career satisfaction and reducing burnout. While health workers' productivity is considered a key factor in client care, there is limited effort put into examining how health workers perceive the balance of their jobs with family and other societal responsibilities (PWLB), especially in low-income countries where the number of health workers in active patient care is low. The purpose of this study was to assess factors associated with perceived work-life balance (PWLB) among health workers in the rural district of Gulu, Northern Uganda.

METHODS

A health facility-based cross-sectional analytical study was conducted. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 384 study participants from the three main hospitals in Gulu District. Data were collected from health workers using a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using STATA version 15. Factors associated with PWLB were determined at a multivariable level using a modified Poisson regression with robust variance with a 95% confidence level and 5% statistical significance. Adjusted prevalent ratios (APR) were used to report the Factors associated with PWLB.

RESULTS

Only 157/384 (40.9%) of the health workers reported a positive perceived work-life balance. Multivariable modified Poisson regression analysis showed positive statistical association with PWLB of a laboratory worker(APR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.10-2.75); a midwife(APR = 1.82, 95% CI:1.13-2.93) or a nurse (APR = 2.19, 95% CI = 1.45-3.30); working in the inpatient department (APR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.31-2.96) or laboratory (APR = 2.09, 95%CI: 1.34-3.28); and having a flexible work schedule (APR = 28.32, 95%CI:14.52-55.22); feeling satisfied at work (APR = 1.58; 95% CI:1.17-2.10), and belonging to an association in the community (APR = 32.71, 95% Cl:11.91-89.88). On the other hand, employment tenure of 1-4 years (APR = 0.63,95% CI:0.40-0.99) was negatively associated with perceived work-life balance.

CONCLUSION

Only four in every 10 health workers experienced a positive perceived work-life balance. The type of profession, duty station, flexibility in work schedule, satisfaction with work, and availability of social support systems, were independent determinants of perceived WLB. Therefore, nurturing a system of reviews of the scheduling of health workers, allowing internal staff rotation, and fostering support systems around the health workers could be beneficial for WLB.

World Psychiatric Association-Asian Journal of Psychiatry Commission on Psychiatric Education in the 21st century

Psychiatric practice faces many challenges in the first quarter of 21st century. Society has transformed, as have training requirements and patient expectations, underlining an urgent need to look at educational programmes. Meanwhile, awareness has grown around psychiatric disorders and there are evolving workforce trends, with more women going to medical school and specialising in psychiatry. Trainee psychiatrists carry different expectations for work-life balance and are increasingly becoming conscious of their own mental health. A tendency to see health as a commodity and the litigious nature of society has elicited additional pressures for healthcare professionals. Cartesian mind-body dualism has created further complexity and this can often be frustrating for patients and care-partners alike. In many cultures across Asia and beyond, patients can present with physical symptoms to express underlying psychological distress with increasing physical investigations. Simultaneously, in various countries, a shift from asylums to community-based interventions and then home treatments have changed psychiatric care in remarkable ways. These changes have added to pressures faced by mental healthcare professionals. However, trainees and other mental healthcare professionals continue to receive similar training as they did a generation ago. The tensions and differences in ideology/orientation between different branches of psychiatry have made responses to patient needs challenging. Recognising that it is difficult to predict the future, this World Psychiatric Association-Asian Journal of Psychiatry Commission makes recommendations that could help institutions and individuals enhance psychiatric education. This Commission draws from existing resources and recent developments to propose a training framework for future psychiatrists.

Work-life balance among mental health professionals in a tertiary care neuropsychiatry centre in India

Background

Stress and distress are common among Mental Health Professionals (MHP). MHPs avoid seeking professional help to address their stress, leading to increased vulnerability to stress and mental health conditions. Inadequately addressed stress directly impacts their service delivery and well-being. However, a serious dearth of literature from India has examined the extent of work-life balance (WLB) stress and psychological distress (PD) among MHP.

Aim

This cross-sectional study aims to assess WLB and examine the relationship between perceived stress (PS), PD, burnout, and WLB among MHP in a tertiary care neuropsychiatry center.

Methods

Using stratified random sampling, 101 MHP were evaluated using Pareek's work-life balance scale, Stamm's professional quality of life (ProQoL) scale, WHO's self-reporting questionnaire, and Cohen's perceived stress scale. Data were analyzed using appropriate parametric or non-parametric tests.

Results

The overall mean score on WLB was 80.45 (SD = 10.21), the PS scale was 24.86 (SD = 6.87), the burnout score was 22.68 (SD = 6), the ST score was 21.18 (SD = 6.35), and PD score was 5.07 (SD = 5.23). The level of WLB score was average to below average among 64% of participants. There is a positive correlation between WLB and compassion satisfaction (CS) and a negative correlation between ST and PS. The study found that the nature of the job, CS, and PD shall predict WLB.

Conclusion

Stress, burnout, ProQoL, and WLB of MHPs vary significantly by job, income, and staying with family, indicating that MHPs are equally vulnerable to stress and burnout and imbalanced WLB, which require appropriate interventions.

The Impacts of Work-Life Balance on the Emotional Exhaustion and Well-Being of College Teachers in China

UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 states that “Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being at all ages is essential to sustainable development.” The sustainable well-being of college teachers deserves attention. Currently, college teachers in China are facing enormous challenges and pressures, which may increase their emotional exhaustion (EE) and hinder the sustainable development of their well-being (WB). Therefore, this study examined Chinese college teachers’ well-being in relation to their work-life balance (WLB) and EE. An online survey was conducted. The valid subjects included 586 college teachers (367 females, 62.6%). We assessed their WLB, EE, and WB. The results revealed that among the Chinese college teachers, (1) WLB was negatively correlated with EE, but positively correlated with WB; EE was negatively correlated with WB; (2) EE partially mediated the relationship between WLB and WB; and (3) College teachers who are male, class tutors, and in public colleges scored higher on EE and lower on WLB and WB than those who are female, non-class tutors, and in private colleges, respectively. The findings indicated that WLB is an important factor for the sustainable development of the well-being of college teachers, and special attention should be paid to college teachers who are male, class tutors, and in public colleges in China.

The work-life balance of general practitioners as a predictor of burnout and motivation to stay in the profession

Background

Work-life balance (WLB) is associated with a variety of health-related outcomes in the general population. Since General Practitioners (GPs) play a fundamental role in the health system, we wanted to analyze the associations between their WLB and burnout scores as well as motivation to stay in the profession.

Methods

In September 2019, physicians from various specialties answered a comprehensive questionnaire. We analyzed a subsample of 188 GPs that were working full time, 61.7% were female.

Results

Multivariate analysis showed a beneficial association between WLB and all three dimensions of burnout (Emotional Exhaustion, Cynicism, and Professional Efficacy) as well as the motivation to stay in the profession.

Conclusions

Improving GPs WLB could be a way to reduce physician burnout, strengthen the healthcare system, and attract a new generation of talented physicians.

Occupational stress: evidence from industries affected by COVID-19 in Japan

Background

This study provides objective evidence on the impact of COVID-19 based on employee occupational stress reported from 13 different industries, and examines the determinants of employee psychological well-being. As the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue, governments should consider industry-level differences when making support decisions concerning public resource allocation to corporations. However, little evidence exists regarding the differences in occupational stress across industries.

Methods

Employee occupational stress data (N = 673,071) was derived from workers in Japan from 2018 to 2020. The sample comprises workers from 13 industries, including civil services, service industry (other), real estate, medical/welfare, wholesale/retail, academic research, and accommodation/restaurant business. A logit model is employed to investigate the differences in employees’ psychological well-being before and during the pandemic.

Results

In 2020, 11 out of 12 industries had significantly worse occupational stress compared to employees engaged in civil services. Over 23% of employees from the wholesale/retail and accommodation/restaurant industries were observed as high-stress employees. Improved compensation policies supporting these industries are suggested. In contrast, reduced occupational stress was found among employees in the transportation/postal and information/communication industries. Among the 13 industries, aside from high job demands, tough inter-person relationships in the workplace became the most significant stressors during the pandemic.

Conclusions

The results confirm that the pandemic has had a heterogeneous effect on employee occupational stress across industries, thus suggesting that the level of compensation given to different industries during the COVID-19 pandemic should be discussed and approved by the Japanese government. Additionally, support for the wholesale/retail and accommodation/restaurant industries during the pandemic should be improved.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-13257-y.

Long-term improvement of psychological well-being in the workplace: What and how

OBJECTIVE

The World Health Organization states that by 2030, mental illness will become the leading global disease burden. Thus, investigations of job stress might require more heterogeneous and innovative solutions. Existing literature demonstrates that good workplace environments have favorable effects on employees' psychological well-being. However, studies on long-term effects are scarce. This study examined the long-term impact of comprehensive workplace characteristics and employee responses to stress (coping strategies) on job stress in Japan.

METHODS

Under a large-scale 3-year longitudinal study, 1,021,178 observations collected from employees in 390 companies from 2017 to 2019 were used. Employee job stress trends were confirmed based on company-fixed-effects linear regression. The relationship between one-year or two-year lagged comprehensive workplace characteristics or coping strategies, and employee job stress was estimated using linear regression. Favorable effects of the work environment and coping strategy improvement were illustrated based on the regression results simulation.

RESULTS

First, job stress appeared to be steadily worsening among the employees of Japanese companies from 2017 to 2019. Second, low job and psychological demand, high job control, a high level of support from the people around, balanced effort-reward, strong job security, and strong interpersonal relationship have favorable long-term effects on employee job stress. Third, employees' coping strategies, such as positive thinking, changing mood, requiring help from other people, reduced negative thinking, and avoiding inappropriate emotional divergence have long-term effects on mitigating job stress. Particularly, thinking positively, changing mood, and avoiding directing feelings of anger and frustration toward others reduce high stress in 46% of respondent employees.

CONCLUSIONS

A comprehensive well-organized workplace environment and appropriate responses to stress have a long-term favorable effect on employee job stress. These results provide policy measures for improving the workplace environment and for employees to adopt coping strategies to enhance their psychological well-being in the long term.

Evaluation of employee occupational stress by estimating the loss of human capital in Japan

Background

Human capital is thought to be a crucial factor that drives economic growth. This study aims to understand the evaluation of the loss of human capital caused by employees’ occupational stress.

Methods

In total, 1,021,178 observations for employee occupational stress were collected from 390 companies from 2017 to 2019 in Japan. The original cross-sectional survey contains 11,167 employees with occupational stress and their socioeconomic information in 2015. The relationship between stress and annual income is estimated with polynomial regression, and accumulated human capital loss is estimated. Matching approaches are applied for corporate human capital loss.

Results

The negative association between annual income and employee stress is derived, which indicates that the worse the employees’ stress is, the greater the human capital losses. Importantly, we confirmed that most employees have human capital loss, and on average, for male employees aged 25, the accumulated human capital loss will reach approximately $0.6 million USD by retirement.

Conclusion

For corporations, human capital loss is highly correlated with the number of employees, suggesting that reducing the occupational stress of employees can lead to greater corporate performance.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-12751-7.

Exploring burnout among psychiatric trainees at a South African university

Background

The mental health of doctors is increasingly topical, internationally and locally. Of importance is the phenomenon of burnout, a far-reaching repercussion of chronic work-related stress. Psychiatrists are more vulnerable to stress, burnout and suicide in comparison with other medical specialities. There is a void in published research relating to South African psychiatric trainees.

Aim

The study aimed to investigate burnout and associated factors among psychiatric registrars at a South African university.

Setting

Department of Psychiatry at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study via an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised three sections: demographics; the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) and questions relating to contributing factors, protective factors and consequences of burnout. The MBI-HSS is recognised as the leading measure of burnout, consisting of three subscales: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalisation (DP) and personal accomplishment (PA).

Results

The questionnaire was completed by 33 out of 55 psychiatric registrars (60.0% response rate). Data from 31 registrars were used in the analyses, as two registrars did not provide informed consent. Among participants, EE was the most commonly affected, followed by DP and lastly PA. The majority (67.8% or n = 21) had scores in the high category for any one of the three subscales (EE/DP/PA). Significant factors associated with burnout included poor work and non-professional life balance (p = 0.017), utilising annual leave days for work-related tasks (p < 0.001), irregular holidays (p = 0.003) and financial debt (p = 0.026). A possible protective factor was an amicable relationship with fellow psychiatric registrars.

Conclusion

There is evidence of some degree of burnout in more than two-thirds of participants. Associated factors lie largely at an organisational level, and while optimising individual resilience is important, systemic support plays a key role.

Environmental, social, and corporate governance activities with employee psychological well-being improvement

Background

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) engagement is expected to benefit corporations in terms of their efficiency and sustainability. The transformative change in management practices would not only provide support for employees but also bring about additional workload, which may affect employee psychological well-being. However, the examination of the relationship between corporate ESG activities and occupational stress is scarce; hence, this study aims to fill this knowledge gap.

Methods

In total, 110,351 observations were collected from 41,998 employees regarding occupational stress to reflect employee psychological well-being. The data were derived from 11 corporations in Japan from 2017 to 2019. Data on ESG activities were collected from the MSCI ESG database from 2015 to 2017. The effect of 1-year lagged corporate ESG activities on employee psychological well-being was investigated using a lagged variable linear regression model.

Results

Positive and negative relationships were found between corporate environmental activities and occupational stress. Activities that reduce water stress during operation and adopt clean technology were found to benefit employees’ psychological well-being. On the contrary, the program for reducing toxic emissions and waste lowered employees’ occupational stress levels significantly. Regarding corporate social activities, the improvement of job satisfaction or work-life balance was associated with occupational stress. However, corporate governance activities were found to have unfavorable effects on employees’ psychological well-being.

Conclusion

The effects of corporate ESG activities on employees’ psychological well-being are found. The managerial implications suggest that caring for employees’ occupational stress during the implementation of environmental activities is necessary, and the adoption of social activities could enhance employees’ psychological well-being. Notably, corporate governance activities are a stressor for employees; top management teams should pay attention to it.

How does burnout relate to daily work-related rumination and well-being of psychotherapists? A daily diary study among psychotherapeutic practitioners

OBJECTIVE

This is the first study to use a daily diary design to investigate the relationship between daily work-related rumination (WRR), daily well-being, and burnout symptoms among psychotherapeutic practitioners.

METHOD

In total, N = 58 psychotherapeutic practitioners participated in the study. For 4 weeks, the participants received a daily evening prompt on weekdays asking about their WRR and well-being. The burnout level of the psychotherapists was assessed using Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) prior to the daily diary period and afterward. The MBI measures the level of work-related distress on three subscales: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal achievement (PA). Two main analyses were performed: Based on the hierarchical structure of the data we performed random intercept and slopes models. These models examined the association between daily WRR and daily well-being, and the relationship between pre-burnout and daily WRR and daily mood. Secondly, linear regressions with the post-MBI subscales as criterion and the daily diary variables as predictors were calculated to assess their contribution to post-burnout.

RESULTS

The compliance rate in our study was 76.8%. Daily WRR and pre-assessment EE were associated with all aspects of reduced daily well-being: bad mood, increased nervousness, and tiredness after work. Daily tiredness and nervousness played a differential role in predicting post-burnout.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicated that daily rumination and pre-EE were associated with reduced daily well-being. As we are the first to present a daily diary study among psychotherapists, we examined the feasibility of the daily diary design in particular and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) in general in this population. Compliance rates compared well with other EMA studies, indicating that EMAs were a feasible assessment option for psychotherapeutic practitioners.

Identifying Risk Factors for Self-reported Mental Health Problems in Psychiatry Trainees and Psychiatrists in Mexico

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to determine and compare demographic features, professional activities and adversities, physical health conditions, and self-care behaviors related to the most frequently self-reported mental health problems among psychiatrists and psychiatry trainees.

METHODS

A cross-sectional, retrospective, comparative study was conducted on a total of 330 (48.2%) psychiatry trainees and 355 (51.8%) psychiatrists from Mexico through an online survey. Demographic features, professional activities and adversities, physical and mental health problems, self-care behaviors, and social support were examined. Comparative analyses and multiple logistic regression models were performed.

RESULTS

Major depression, anxiety, and burnout were the most common mental health problems reported with a higher frequency of anxiety disorders in psychiatry trainees. Being a woman, having a physical health problem, and lack of restful sleep were the main risk factors in both groups. Consultation in the government sector and having patients with severe suicidal ideation affected more psychiatry trainees. Perceived discrimination and inadequate eating schedules were risk factors for mental health problems for psychiatrists.

CONCLUSION

Psychiatry trainees constitute a vulnerable group for anxiety disorders. Particular attention should be paid to how students cope with the training experience to determine whether additional support is required. These professionals face major stressors leading to a high prevalence of depression, burnout, and anxiety. Encouraging psychiatrists to have better health habits is a step in the right direction, which must be accompanied by tangible organizational avenues to do so and creating a culture that truly promotes self-care.

Relationship Between Job Satisfaction and Burnout Based on a Structural Equation Model

OBJECTIVES

To understand the relationship between job burnout and job satisfaction for medical workers and analyse the influencing factors.

METHODS

We used two scales to examine medical workers in Hengyang mental hospitals. Multivariate logistic regression and structural equation model were used to evaluate the relevant factors of job satisfaction, and the relationship between job satisfaction and job burnout.

RESULTS

The total job satisfaction was at the moderate level. For job burnout was in the middle burnout level. Job satisfaction can have a negative prediction function for job burnout (direct effect -0.684). The relevant factors of job burnout and job satisfaction was as follows: nature of the work, pay, benefits and communication impacted job satisfaction and job burnout.

CONCLUSIONS

The current level of job satisfaction is relatively low, job satisfaction has a negative effect on job burnout.

Burnout and work-life balance among physicians: the role of migration background

Background

We want to analyze the effect of migration background (MB) on physician burnout and work-life balance.

Methods

In September 2019, physicians from various specialties answered a questionnaire on work and health. We analyzed a subsample of 526 physicians that were working full time in a hospital, 14% with an MB and 47.9% were female.

Results

Multivariate analysis showed that physicians with an MB exhibit significantly less favorable scores on all three burnout dimensions, and this effect persisted in the regression analysis after adding age, gender, and marital status as control variables. There were no differences with regard to work-life balance.

Conclusions

To our knowledge, our study is the first one to suggest that MB plays a significant role in physician mental health. Future research will benefit from identifying the factors behind that connection, e.g., problems related to acculturation, communication and social integration, which can then be addressed by policymakers in order to maintain and improve the medical infrastructure.

The combination of psychosocial working conditions, occupational balance and sociodemographic characteristics and their associations with no or negligible stress symptoms among Swedish occupational therapists - a cross-sectional study

Background

The numbers of people who are on sick leave due to mental health problems, such as exhaustion disorder, are increasing in Sweden. One of the most affected groups is healthcare professionals. In order to develop preventive strategies to promote a sustainable working life for occupational therapists, there is a need to understand the associations between psychosocial working conditions, occupational balance and no or negligible stress symptoms. To the best of our knowledge, neither the combination of these factors nor the salutogenic perspective, have been taken into consideration when exploring factors associated with stress symptoms among occupational therapists in previous research.

Methods

Purposeful sampling was used. All currently working members of the Swedish Association of Occupational Therapists were invited to take part in the present study in 2018. The final sample was 3658 (48% response rate). A web-survey with questions about signs of exhaustion, psychosocial working conditions, occupational balance and sociodemographic characteristics was used. Logistic regression analyses were used in order to calculate associations between psychosocial working conditions, occupational balance, sociodemographic characteristics and no or negligible signs of exhaustion.

Results

Experiencing high occupational balance, low workload, high control, high sense of community and high justice, were associated with no or negligible stress symptoms. Furthermore, a satisfying financial situation, having children living at home, being married and long professional experience were significant in this model.

Conclusions

It seems important to consider not only psychosocial working conditions, but also occupational balance to prevent exhaustion disorder among occupational therapists in Sweden. Organisational programmes, which reduce the workload, strengthen the control and sense of community and facilitate occupational balance, seem to be important areas for health promotion in this group.

Comparing burnout and work-life balance among specialists in internal medicine: the role of inpatient vs. outpatient workplace

Background

Compared to the general population, physicians are more likely to experience increased burnout and lowered work-life balance. In our article, we want to analyze whether the workplace of a physician is associated with these outcomes.

Methods

In September 2019, physicians from various specialties answered a comprehensive questionnaire. We analyzed a subsample of 183 internists that were working full time, 51.4% were female.

Results

Multivariate analysis showed that internists working in an outpatient setting exhibit significantly higher WLB and more favorable scores on all three burnout dimensions. In the regression analysis, hospital-based physicians exhibited higher exhaustion, cynicism and total burnout score as well as lower WLB.

Conclusions

Physician working at hospitals exhibit less favorable outcomes compared to their colleagues in outpatient settings. This could be a consequence of workplace-specific factors that could be targeted by interventions to improve physician mental health and subsequent patient care.

Not Able to Lead a Healthy Life When You Need It the Most: Dual Role of Lifestyle Behaviors in the Association of Blurred Work-Life Boundaries With Well-Being

As there is a growing trend for people to work from home, precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this research examines the impact of blurred work-life boundaries on lifestyle and subjective well-being. Our cross-sectional study in the Netherlands demonstrates that heightened levels of blurred work-life boundaries predict negative changes in happiness through enhanced emotional exhaustion. In addition, the findings point to a dual role of lifestyle in this process. On the one hand, we observed that healthy overall lifestyle patterns buffered employees against the detrimental effects of blurred work-life boundaries and emotional exhaustion on happiness. On the other hand, employees who experienced increases in blurring of work-life boundaries reported a deterioration in healthy lifestyle behaviors, which in turn was related to reduced happiness. Paradoxically, it seems that those who would benefit the most from a healthy lifestyle are less able to sustain health-promoting behaviors. A case for shared responsibility between employers and employees is built as we discuss the practical implications of the current research.

Thai psychiatrists and burnout: A national survey

Objectives

To explore the prevalence and factors that contribute to burnout among Thai psychiatrists.

Background

The practice of psychiatry can lead to emotional fatigue. As rates of emotional illness in Thailand continue to climb, increasing demands are placed on a limited number of psychiatrists. This can lead to burnout, and multiple negative physical and mental health outcomes.

Materials and methods

Electronic questionnaires were sent to all 882 Thai psychiatrists and residents via a private social media group managed by the Psychiatric Association of Thailand. The questionnaire included demographic data, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Proactive Coping Inventory, and questions about strategies that Thai psychiatrists believed reduce/prevent burnout.

Results

Questionnaires were sent and 227 (25.7%) responded. According to MBI, 112 (49.3%) of respondents reported high level of emotional exhaustion, and 60 (26.4%) had a high level of depersonalization. Nearly all respondents (99.6%) maintained a high level of personal accomplishment. Working more than 50 hours per week (p = 0.003) and more patients per day (p = 0.20) were associated with higher levels of burnout. Feeling satisfied with work (p<0.001) and having a good support system from family (p = 0.027) and colleagues (p = 0.033) were associated with lower levels of burnout. The coping mechanisms related to lower levels of burnout included more emotional support seeking (p = 0.005), more proactive coping (p = 0.047), and less avoidance (p = 0.005).

Conclusions

Compared to a previous study on burnout among Thai psychiatrists in 2011, in this study, the prevalence of high levels of burnout had increased dramatically from 17.1% to 49.3%. An intervention to decrease workload, strengthen social support and encourage proactive coping mechanisms may be beneficial for relieving burnout.

Comparison of burnout, anxiety and depressive syndromes in hospital psychiatrists and other physicians: Results from the ESTEM study

AIMS

To compare prevalence and risk factors for burnout, anxiety and depression among hospital psychiatrists and non-psychiatrists.

METHOD

Regional online survey of psychiatric and non-psychiatric hospital physicians was performed including: a job-stress scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), a stressful work relationships list and a six items scale about work-related psychosocial risk factors (PRFs). The client-related burnout scale of the CBI has been changed to an interpersonal burnout scale. Cases were defined by a score of 8+ for the HADS-A/HADS-D and 50+ for the three CBI subscales.

RESULTS

285 psychiatrists and 326 non-psychiatrists participated. The prevalence of depression, personal burnout and work-related burnout did not differ between physicians. Anxiety was lower in psychiatrists and interpersonal burnout was higher in senior psychiatrists. Multivariate analysis showed two main PRFs, common to both groups of physicians: "work intensity and time" was associated with four of the five syndromes and "emotional demands" with the three burnout syndromes. Interpersonal burnout was associated with stressful relationships with leaders, but not with patients.

CONCLUSION

Reducing the workload, improving the management of emotions and increasing managerial skills are important approaches for prevention.

Update on Addressing Mental Health and Burnout in Physicians: What Is the Role for Psychiatry?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To highlight an emerging understanding of burnout and physician mental health. This review will provide a discussion of conceptual and diagnostic issues of the burnout syndrome with its relevance to psychiatry, and how psychiatry may interface with other medical disciplines to provide support in creating burnout prevention and treatment programs.

RECENT FINDINGS

Descriptive data of burnout correlations and risk factors are available while an understanding of burnout best practices is lacking but growing. Two recent meta-analyses provide efficacy data along with key subgroup analyses that point to greater efficacy among systemic/organizational over individual level interventions. Among individual interventions, groups work better than individual therapy and the incorporation of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and/or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy modalities provide greater efficacy over other therapies. Ultimately, addressing burnout will be an iterative process specific to institutional cultures and therefore should be thought of as quality improvement initiatives involving leadership to adopt the quadruple aim of physician wellness and to seek institution-specific collaboration and feedback. Psychiatry is uniquely positioned to help change institutional cultures regarding the burnout syndrome, which has been labeled a national crisis. Combinatorial strategies that combine efficacious individual-level interventions with systemic-level interventions that enhance workflow will likely provide the most sustainable model for preventing and treating burnout. Psychiatry should be involved, especially at the level of the liaison psychiatrist to assist with how these types of interventions may be best implemented in specific institutions.

Psychiatrist burnout: a meta-analysis of Maslach Burnout Inventory means

BACKGROUND

Doctors are known to have poor mental health compared with the general population. Psychiatrists are exposed to a number of unique stressors that may increase the risk of poor mental health. The aim of this study was to undertake a meta-analysis of burnout rates in psychiatrists.

METHODS

Electronic databases (including MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Embase) were searched. Only studies published since 1999 and using the 22-item Maslach Burnout Inventory were included in the analysis. A meta-analysis was conducted using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software.

RESULTS

A total of 11 studies, across nine publications, were included in the final analysis. Studies were significantly heterogenous but there was no indication of publication bias. The pooled mean for emotional exhaustion was 22.03 (95% confidence interval (CI): 19.71-24.34, tau = 3.74). For depersonalisation, the pooled mean was 7.41 (95% CI: 5.91-8.90, tau = 2.45). The pooled mean for personal accomplishment was 30.00 (95% CI: 24.75-35.27, tau = 8.87).

CONCLUSIONS

The high level of psychiatrist emotional exhaustion is a significant concern. Further research is needed to consider the role of modifiable risk factors in the aetiology of psychiatrist burnout.

Relationship between burnout and career choice regret among Chinese neurology postgraduates

BACKGROUND

In China, the shortage of doctors leads to stressful clinical work and increasing turnover. Medical students undergoing postgraduate specialty training will be the country's medical workforce in the coming decades, but are also subject to high workloads and academic pressure. This may have significant implications for burnout and career choice regret. Despite the importance of burnout and career choice regret, the status and relationship of these aspects in Chinese neurology postgraduates are largely unexplored, and associated factors remain unknown.

METHODS

This study investigated the prevalence of and factors influencing burnout and career choice regret among neurology postgraduates in China. We conducted a national cross-sectional study of Chinese neurology postgraduates. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire that covered demographic information, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and additional item to assess career choice regret.

RESULTS

Of 4902 neurology postgraduates, 2008 returned completed questionnaires (response rate 41%). After excluding incomplete questionnaires, data for 1814 participants were analyzed. In total, 83.6% of participants had experienced symptoms of burnout, and 46.6% reported career choice regret. Binary logistic regression analysis showed postgraduate entrance examination scores, marital status, and having children were associated with burnout (all P <  0.05). Career choice regret was the strongest risk factor for burnout (odds ratio [OR] = 3.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.33-4.32). Multiple logistic regression showed postgraduates with shorter work or study hours per week (OR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.47-0.88) had a low risk for career choice regret, whereas married participants (OR = 1.54, 95% CI 1.07-2.20) had a high risk for career choice regret. No symptoms of burnout (OR = 0.33, 95% CI 0.24-0.45) was also associated with a low risk for career choice regret.

CONCLUSIONS

Burnout symptoms and career choice regret are prevalent among neurology postgraduates in China. Career choice regret is an important predictor of burnout. Further research on reducing burnout and career choice regret among neurology postgraduates is needed.

Does occupational distress raise the risk of alcohol use, binge-eating, ill health and sleep problems among medical doctors? A UK cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to assess the prevalence of health problems (eg, insomnia, binge-eating, substance use and ill health) among UK doctors and to investigate whether occupational distress increases the risk of health problems.

DESIGN

This study reports the analysis of data collected at the baseline stage of a randomised controlled trial (protocol #NCT02838290).

SETTING

Doctors were invited through medical Royal Colleges, the British Medical Association's research panel and a random selection of NHS trusts across various UK regions.

PARTICIPANTS

417 UK doctors with an equivalent split of gender (48% males) and seniority (49% consultants).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Outcomes were sleep problems (eg, insomnia), alcohol/drug use (eg, binge-drinking), ill health (eg, backache) and binge-eating (eg, uncontrollable eating). Predictor variables were occupational distress (psychiatric morbidity, burnout, job effort, work-life imbalance, coping with stress through self-blame or substances) and work factors (workplace and years practising medicine).

RESULTS

44% of doctors binge-drank and 5% met the criteria for alcohol dependence; 24%-29% experienced negative emotions after overeating and 8% had a binge-eating disorder; 20%-61% had some type of sleep problem and 12% had severe/moderate insomnia; 69% had fatigue and 19%-29% experienced other types of ill health problems. The results show that occupational distress and job factors increase the odds of doctors using substances, having sleep problems, presenting with frequent symptoms of ill health and binge-eating. For example, burnout increased the risk of all types of sleep problems, eg, difficulty falling/staying asleep, insomnia (OR ≥1.344; p≤0.036). Even taking into consideration whether or not a doctor works in a hospital, the risk of health problems still rises when doctors have signs of occupational distress.

CONCLUSION

Early recognition of occupational distress can prevent health problems among UK doctors that can reduce the quality of patient care because of sickness-related absence.

Preliminary Validation of Japanese Version of the Parental Burnout Inventory and Its Relationship With Perfectionism

Parenting is a precious experience and also a very hard task, which could result in parental burnout for some parents. The present study sought to validate a Japanese version of the Parental Burnout Inventory (PBI-J) by replicating and extending the pioneering work of Roskam et al. (2017). We conducted a web survey (N = 1200) to first validate the PBI-J and second to investigate the association between the PBI-J and perfectionism as a new interrelation. Similar to the prior study of Roskam et al. (2017), confirmatory factor analysis supported a model of three-factor structure of the PBI-J: emotional exhaustion, lack of personal accomplishment, and emotional distancing. In addition, we found low to moderate correlations of parental burnout with job burnout, parental stress, and depression. These findings provided initial evidence for validity of the PBI-J and suggested that parental burnout appeared to be different from job burnout. Our further evaluation of perfectionism confirmed such a difference between parental and job burnout by showing that parental perfectionism [i.e., combination of parental personal standards (PS) and parental concern over mistakes (CM)] has a unique contribution to parental burnout than does job perfectionism (i.e., combination of job PS and job CM). In addition, CM was positively correlated with burnout in both domains whereas the associations between PS and burnout were more complex. Finally, the proportion of parents experiencing burnout was estimated to lie somewhere between 4.2 and 17.3% in Japan. Overall, the present study confirmed preliminary validity of the PBI-J and found that parental perfectionism is one of the vulnerability factors in parental burnout.

[An Investigation of Factors Associated with Emotional Exhaustion among Hospital Nurses: Adherence to "Maternal Affection" and Agreement with Stereotypical Gender Roles]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate factors including adherence to "maternal affection" and stereotypical gender roles associated with emotional exhaustion among hospital nurses.

METHOD

In 2014, among 2,690 workers recruited for this study, 891 participated with written informed consent. Of these, we investigated 464 hospital nurses. Adherence to maternal affection and emotional exhaustion were measured using valid and reliable scales developed by Egami (2005, 12 items) and Kubo (1992, 5 items), respectively. Stereotypical gender role was measured by asking "how much do you agree with the idea that women should stay home and men should work?". Workfamily conflict was measured in terms of the discrepancy in priority in life (i.e., a work or a private life) between the participant's ideal and the real world.

RESULT

The majority of our participants were women (86%), aged 39 or younger (80%), and single (70%). About one-quarter had workfamily conflict (26%) and agreed with the stereotypical gender role (28%). The mean scores of emotional exhaustion and adherence to maternal affection were 17.2 (out of 25) and 30.8 (out of 48), respectively. A stepwise multivariable model showed that being a woman (p=0.028), being young (p=0.022), being single (p=0.007), and having workfamily conflict (p<0.001) were more likely to increase emotional exhaustion after adjusting for household income. Adherence to maternal affection and stereotypical gender role were not significantly associated with emotional exhaustion.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that adherence to "maternal affection" and stereotypical gender roles were not associated with psychological burnout. Special attention should be paid to hospital nurses who are women, young, or single, or who have workfamily conflict.

Prevalence of and factors associated with burnout among health care professionals in Arab countries: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Burnout among healthcare professionals is one of the key challenges affecting health care practice and quality of care. This systematic review aims to (1) estimate the prevalence of burnout among health care professionals (HCP) in Arab countries; and (2) explore individual and work-related factors associated with burnout in this population.

METHODS

Multiple electronic databases were searched for studies published in English or Arabic from January 1980 to November 2014 assessing burnout (using the Maslach Burnout Inventory; MBI) amongst health care professionals (HCP) in Arab countries.

RESULTS

Nineteen studies (N = 4108; 49.3% females) conducted on HCP in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Yemen were included in this review. There was a wide range of prevalence estimates for the three MBI subscales, high Emotional Exhaustion (20.0-81.0%), high Depersonalization (9.2-80.0%), and low Personal Accomplishment (13.3-85.8%). Gender, nationality, service duration, working hours, and shift patterns were all significantly associated with burnout.

CONCLUSIONS

Within the constraints of the study and the range of quality papers available, our review revealed moderate-to-high estimates of self-reported burnout among HCP in Arab countries that are similar to prevalence estimates in non-Arabic speaking westernized developed countries. In order to develop culturally appropriate interventions, further research using longitudinal designs is needed to confirm the risk factors for burnout in specific HCP settings and specialties in Arab countries.

Burnout, psychological morbidity, job stress, and job satisfaction in Chinese neurologists

Objective:

To investigate the prevalence of and personal and professional characteristics associated with burnout, psychological morbidity, job stress, and job satisfaction in Chinese neurologists.

Methods:

The China Neurologist Association conducted a national cross-sectional study from September 2014 to March 2015. A questionnaire including the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, the Consultants' Mental Health Questionnaire, and questions assessing personal and professional characteristics, career satisfaction, and current doctor-patient relationships was administered.

Results:

A total of 693 directors of neurology departments and 6,111 neurologists in 30 Chinese provinces returned surveys. Overall, 53.2% of responding neurologists experienced burnout, 37.8% had psychological morbidity, 50.7% had high levels of job stress, 25.7% had low levels of job satisfaction, 76.9% had poor doctor-patient relationships, and 58.1% regretted becoming a doctor. Factors independently associated with burnout were lower income, more hours worked per week, more nights on call per month, working in public hospitals, psychological morbidity, high levels of job stress, low levels of job satisfaction, and poor doctor-patient relationships. Factors independently associated with psychological morbidity included lower income, more nights on call per month, working in enterprise-owned hospitals, burnout, high levels of job stress, and low levels of job satisfaction.

Conclusions:

Burnout and psychological morbidity are common in Chinese neurologists. Burnout is the single greatest predictor of neurologists' psychological morbidity, high job stress, and low job satisfaction.

Effects of gaps in priorities between ideal and real lives on psychological burnout among academic faculty members at a medical university in Japan: a cross-sectional study

Background

Accumulating evidence from medical workforce research indicates that poor work/life balance and increased work/home conflict induce psychological distress. In this study we aim to examine the existence of a priority gap between ideal and real lives, and its association with psychological burnout among academic professionals.

Methods

This cross-sectional survey, conducted in 2014, included faculty members (228 men, 102 women) at a single medical university in Tokyo, Japan. The outcome of interest was psychological burnout, measured with a validated inventory. Discordance between ideal- and real-life priorities, based on participants’ responses (work, family, individual life, combinations thereof), was defined as a priority gap.

Results

The majority (64%) of participants chose “work” as the greatest priority in real life, but only 28% chose “work” as the greatest priority in their conception of an ideal life. Priority gaps were identified in 59.5% of respondents. A stepwise multivariable general linear model demonstrated that burnout scores were associated positively with respondents’ current position (P < 0.0018) and the presence of a priority gap (P < 0.0001), and negatively with the presence of social support (P < 0.0001). Among participants reporting priority gaps, burnout scores were significantly lower in those with children than in those with no children (P_interaction = 0.011); no such trend was observed in participants with no priority gap.

Conclusions

A gap in priorities between an ideal and real life was associated with an increased risk of burnout, and the presence of children, which is a type of “family” social support, had a mitigating effect on burnout among those reporting priority gaps.

Evaluation of the prevalence of burnout and psychological morbidity among radiation oncologist members of the Kyoto Radiation Oncology Study Group (KROSG)

This study aimed to evaluate the self-reported prevalence of burnout and psychological morbidity among radiation oncologists members of the Kyoto Radiation Oncology Study Group (KROSG) and to identify factors contributing to burnout. We mailed an anonymous survey to 125 radiation oncologists members of the KROSG. The survey included; the demographic data, the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). There were 87 responses out of 125 eligible respondents (69.6% response rate). In terms of burnout, three participants (3.4%) fulfilled the MBI-HSS criteria of having simultaneously high emotional exhaustion (EE), high depersonalization (DP) and low sense of personal accomplishment (PA). Eighteen (20.6%) reported a high score for either EE or DP meeting the alternative criteria for burnout with three of these simultaneously having high EE and high DP. The prevalence of psychological morbidity estimated using GHQ-12 was 32%. A high level of EE and low level of PA significantly correlated with high level of psychological morbidity with P < 0.001 and <0.01 respectively. Having palliative care activities other than radiotherapy and number of patients treated per year were the only factors associated with burnout. This is the first study investigating the prevalence of burnout and psychological morbidity among radiation oncologists in Japan. Compared with other studies involving radiation oncologists, the prevalence of low personal accomplishment was particularly high in the present study. The prevalence of psychological morbidity was almost the double that of the Japanese general population and was significantly associated with low PA and high EE.

Personal life and working conditions of trainees and young specialists in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases in Europe: a questionnaire survey

The purpose of this investigation was to assess the balance between the personal and professional lives of trainees and young European specialists in clinical microbiology (CM) and infectious diseases (ID), and determine differences according to gender, country of training, workplace and specialty. The Steering Committee of the Trainee Association of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) devised a questionnaire survey consisting, beyond the demographic questions, of nine yes/no questions, 11 Likert scale self-evaluations and one open-response item on parenthood, working conditions, quality of life, alcohol consumption and burnout. This anonymous survey in English was held between April and July 2015 among European CM/ID trainees and young specialists (<3 years after training completion). Responses from 416 participants with a mean age of 32 years [standard deviation (SD) 5 years] were analysed. Females and physicians from Northern/Western Europe (NWE) benefit more from paternity/maternity leaves even during training than their counterparts. Among all respondents, only half of breastfeeding mothers enjoyed the benefit of working hours flexibility. Only two-thirds of respondents found their working environment stimulating. In comparison to colleagues from other parts of Europe, trainees and young specialists from Southern/Eastern Europe (SEE) had less frequent regular meetings with mentors/supervisors and head of departments where trainees’ issues are discussed. Also, physicians from SEE were more frequently victims of workplace mobbing/bullying in comparison to those from other regions. Finally, multivariate analysis showed that female gender, SEE region and ID specialty were associated with burnout feelings. Female gender and country of work from SEE largely determine satisfactory working conditions, the possibility of parenthood leaves, amount of leisure time, mobbing experiences and burnout feelings among European CM/ID trainees and young specialists.

[Work satisfaction and exhaustion among psychiatrists in psychiatric emergency services]

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Psychiatric emergency services (PES) have recently occupied a new and growing place in the landscape of mental health services. However, few data are available on the way psychiatrists practice in the PES. Our aim was to survey psychiatrists working in PES, focusing on their job satisfaction and the theoretical models they use in their everyday practice.

METHOD

We sent a survey to a sample of 508 psychiatrists working in PES in France.

RESULTS

Two hundred and thirty-seven psychiatrists returned the survey, yielding a response rate of 47%. On a 0 to 10 scale, the mean level of job satisfaction was 6.7 (SD: 1.92). Participants reported that facing a variety of clinical situations and playing a key-coordinating role in the mental health system were the two most specific features of emergency psychiatry. The main sources of dissatisfaction were organizational issues and stressful clinical experiences, including violence or hostility. Sixty-three percent (n=150) of participants reported using more than two theoretical models in their practice, while the use of crisis models was reported by almost 40% of them. When assessed for suggestions to improve the PES, the majority of participants indicated that efforts should be focused on organizational factors.

CONCLUSION

While emergency psychiatry could appear as an ungrateful practice, the majority of psychiatrists who responded to our survey reported satisfaction with their work and highlighted its unique particularities. Future research and collaborations are needed to identify organizational models of PES and their better integration in mental health networks.

Work-Recreation Balance, Health-Promoting Lifestyles and Suboptimal Health Status in Southern China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Suboptimal health status (SHS)—an intermediate state between health and illness—refers to functional somatic symptoms that are medically undiagnosed. Although SHS has become a great challenge for global public health, very little about its etiology and mechanisms are known. Work-recreation balance is a part of work−life balance, and is related to stress which greatly influences health status. We therefore carried out a cross-sectional investigation between 2012 and 2013 within a clustered sample of 24,475 individuals aged 15−60 years from a population in southern China. In so doing, we hoped to illuminate the associations between work-recreation balance conditions, healthy lifestyles, and SHS. Work-recreation balance conditions were categorically defined by frequency (“rarely, sometimes, or always”). Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP-II) was used to evaluate the level of healthy lifestyles, and the medical examination report and Sub-Health Measurement Scale V1.0 (SHMS V1.0) were both used to evaluate health status. The ratio of SHS (46.3%) is higher than health status (18.4%) or disease status (35.3%). Overall, 4.9% of respondents reported the lowest level of work-recreation balance, and they scored lower on both the HPLP-II and SHMS V1.0 compared with those who frequently maintained a work-recreation balance. Significant association was found between work-recreation balance behaviors and healthy lifestyles (p < 0.001) after demographic adjustment. In comparison with those reporting a frequent work-recreation balance, individuals whose work-recreation balance was categorically “rare” were 1.69 times as likely to develop SHS (odds ratio (OR): 1.69, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.49–1.92), and those with infrequent work-recreation balance (“sometimes”) were 1.71 times more likely to develop SHS (OR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.62–1.81). These findings suggest that work-recreation balance conditions are significantly associated with, and seem to be accurate behavioral indicia of a healthy lifestyle. Poor work-recreation balance is associated with increased risk for SHS; thus, a healthier lifestyle that maintains a work-recreation balance should be promoted in order to reduce the development of SHS or disease in southern China.

Domestic Banks in Bangladesh Could Ensure Efficiency by Improving Human Resource Management Practices

The paper aims to examine the influence of human resource management (HRM) practices on bank efficiency using Malmquist index of total factor productivity. The model comprises HRM index that represents the quality of HRM practices. The results are decomposed into three efficiency scores, namely, technical efficiency, pure efficiency, and scale efficiency. In this study, panel data for 44 banks in Bangladesh are used for the period 2008-2013. This paper reveals that foreign banks are ahead in converting the influence of HRM practices into efficiency scores (0.946>0.833). On the other hand, domestic banks performed better than foreign banks in terms of pure efficiency and scale efficiency. But, in terms of technical efficiency, the domestic banks are regressed by 6.7% annually whereas foreign banks are progressed with a yearly value of 5.8%. The results are robust, because the Mann-Whitney test and Kruskall-Wallis test (non-parametric tests) also confirm the same results. This study emphasizes HRM practices in the banking industry to ensure efficiency in the long-term scenario. Domestic banks are suggested to ensure continuous development in HRM practices in order to compete with foreign banks.

Psychiatrists admitted to a physicians' health programme

BACKGROUND

Psychiatrists are at a high risk of becoming mentally ill at some point during their careers.

AIMS

To compare the profile of psychiatrists admitted to the Barcelona Physicians' Health Programme (PHP) with other sick doctors in the programme.

METHODS

A retrospective case review of electronic medical records was conducted for physicians registered at the 'Colegio de Médicos' in Barcelona and consecutively admitted to the Barcelona PHP from January 1998 until December 2013.

RESULTS

One thousand two hundred eighteen records were reviewed. The 72 psychiatrists admitted to the programme were not statistically different from the other physicians in gender (54% versus 51% women), primary diagnosis (34% non-substance use mental disorders versus 29% substance use disorders), prevalence of adjustment disorders and median length of their first treatment episode (9.0 versus 8.4 months). Psychiatrists were significantly older (mean age 53 versus 50 years; t = 2.12; P < 0.05), more frequently had inpatient treatment during their first treatment episode (17% versus 10%; χ (2) = 4.57, P < 0.05) and had more referred (rather than self-referred) admissions (22% versus 13%; χ (2) = 4.57, P < 0.05) than other physicians. However, only the type of referral played a significant role when considering the simultaneous effect of all relevant variables (Wald = 4.43; P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Psychiatrists with mental disorders may be more reluctant to ask for help from a PHP voluntarily than other physicians. Members of this professional group should be encouraged to seek help when affected by mental distress or addiction problems.

Mental health of Japanese psychiatrists: the relationship among level of occupational stress, satisfaction and depressive symptoms

Background

Psychiatrists in clinical practice face a number of stressors related to patient care, such as overwork. On the other hand, they gain satisfaction from their work. We quantified and assessed the potential relationship between levels of occupational stress, satisfaction, and depressive symptoms among Japanese clinical psychiatrists. We surveyed 206 psychiatrists with up to 15 years of clinical experience who primarily worked in patient care. Levels of occupational stress and occupational satisfaction were measured using the Visual Analogue Scale and the level of depressive symptoms was measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Workplace stressors and satisfiers were also evaluated.

Results

Out of 206 psychiatrists, 154 (74.8%) responded to the survey. The respondents’ mean (SD) age was 34.3 (5.2) years. The estimated prevalence of significant depressive symptoms was 34.4% (n = 53), and the experienced frequent violence was 14.9% (n = 23). The level of depressive symptoms was inversely correlated with the level of occupational satisfaction. In respondents who reported a moderate level of occupational stress, having fewer depressive symptoms was associated with higher occupational satisfaction, but this association was not significant in those who reported a high level of stress. In addition, high occupational satisfaction was associated with interest towards work content, ability to work at one’s discretion, opportunities for growth and career development, and ease of communication with supervisors and colleagues.

Conclusions

Nearly one-third of the psychiatrists screened positive for significant depressive symptoms. Having fewer depressive symptoms was associated with higher occupational satisfaction in those who reported a moderate level of stress. Implications from the present findings may be to enhance occupational satisfaction by discussing work interests with a supervisor, as well as increased opportunities for career development, which may prevent depression among psychiatrists.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13104-015-1054-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Job characteristics: their relationship to job satisfaction, stress and depression

This study investigated the influences of job characteristics on job satisfaction, stress and depression among South African white collar workers. Participants were managers in full-time employment with large organisations. They completed the Job Diagnostic Survey, the Perceived Stress Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory. A regression approach was used to predict job satisfaction, stress and depression from job characteristics. Job characteristics (skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy and feedback) predicted job satisfaction, as well as stress and depression. Job characteristics are weak predictors of perceived stress and depression. Work related factors, such as interpersonal relations and organisational culture, may better predict mental health in work settings.

Risk of burnout among early career mental health professionals

Burnout is a stress-related syndrome that often affects mental health professionals (MHPs) and may have serious consequences on personal well-being as well as on the quality of provided psychiatric care. Established literature shows a high risk to develop burnout among MHPs. Few data are available on the incidence and on the clinical implications of the burnout syndrome in the early phases of MHP professional career. We confirmed the presence of burnout among early career MHPs: early career psychiatrists showed a lower sense of personal accomplishment, while non-medical MHPs tended to have more depersonalization and suffered from higher levels of depression. Specific programmes to identify the presence of the burnout syndrome and to cope with it should be taught within mental health training curricula. Burnout is a stress-related syndrome that often affects professionals working in emotionally loaded and highly interpersonal environments. Mental health professionals (MHPs) are long known to be at high risk to develop the burnout syndrome, but this has rarely been investigated in professionals in an early phase of career. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the presence of the burnout syndrome and of depressive symptoms among early career psychiatrists and 'non-medical' MHPs. One hundred MHPs (including 50 psychiatrists and 50 non-medical MHPs) were screened for the presence of burnout and depression, with the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory - revised, respectively. The relationships of burnout with socio-demographical and professional characteristics were also explored. We confirmed the presence of burnout among both groups of early career MHPs, but psychiatrists had a significantly higher degree of emotional exhaustion and a lower sense of personal accomplishment, while non-medical MHPs adopted more frequently depersonalization as a coping strategy and had higher scores for depression, which is associated with higher level of burnout. The risk of developing burnout should be properly addressed in training curricula and strategies to overcome it should be systematically taught, in order to promote personal well-being and efficient team work in mental health settings.