Burnout Syndrome and Work-Related Stress in Physical and Occupational Therapists Working in Different Types of Hospitals: Which Group Is the Most Vulnerable?

Abstract

Because of the nature of their work, physical and occupational therapists are at high risk of burnout, which is associated with decreased job satisfaction, medical errors, and mental wellbeing in healthcare professionals. To well manage and minimize potential impact of burnout, risk factors should be determined. This study examined burnout and job stress in physical and occupational therapists in various Korean hospital settings. Physical and occupational therapists from several rehabilitation facilities in South Korea completed a survey between March–May 2019. A set of questionnaires, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Job Content Questionnaire, were distributed to all participants. In total, 325 professionals (131 men and 194 women) were recruited. Burnout and work-related stress differed significantly according to several factors. Hospital size, gender, and age were the main contributory factors affecting at least two dimensions of the questionnaires. The more vulnerable group consisted of female therapists in their 20s at small- or medium-sized hospitals with low scores for quality of life. High levels of job stress and burnout were observed in female therapists in their 20s at small- or medium-sized hospitals. Hospitals and society should create suitable environments and understand the nature of therapists’ work to improve healthcare.

Job Stress and Mental Well-Being among Working Men and Women in Europe: The Mediating Role of Social Support

“…In terms of the gender differences in the relationship between job stress and mental well-being, the study revealed that the negative association of job stress on mental well-being were more consistent among women than men, although some studies have reported inconsistent findings [ 31 ]. This result is in line with previous studies that suggested that there is a higher association in the relationship between job stress and negative mental well-being among women than men [ 25 , 29 , 59 , 60 ]. Several possible reasons may explain these findings.…”

Meta-Analysis of Factors Associated with Occupational Therapist Burnout

“…Psychological exhaustion among occupational therapists is a critical problem that necessitates counteractive measures because it threatens their psychological well-being and is difficult to reverse. Therefore, it is important to develop preventive measures to reduce the incidence of burnout and its promotional factors in order to prevent individuals from becoming psychologically exhausted [15]. Studies related to burnout among occupational therapists are continuously being reported.…”

Job Satisfaction among Occupational Therapy Practitioners: A Systematic Review of Quantitative Studies

“…On the other hand, it has been shown that emotional exhaustion negatively affects the job satisfaction of not only nurses but also that of doctors and medical technicians (Tarcan et al, 2017). Recent studies have found that the risk of developing burnout varies widely among occupational therapists (Bruschini et al, 2018;Derakhshanrad et al, 2019;Escudero-Escudero et al, 2020;Kim et al, 2020;Reis et al, 2018).…”

“…Recent international research into occupational therapists' work well-being has mainly focused on negative aspects, for instance, burnout (e.g. Escudero-Escudero et al, 2020;Kim et al, 2020) and workplace fatigue (Brown et al, 2017). However, research in this field should also take into account positive aspects (e.g., job satisfaction) in order to provide a comprehensive description of work well-being (Turner et al, 2002).…”