[Workplace stress and burnout in elderly care: examining the mental health of middle-aged workers].

Abstract

Introduction: Burnout is a combination of mental, emotional, and physical issues resulting from prolonged stress and emotional overload. Professionals working with people – including those in elderly care – are particularly vulnerable to the risk of burnout. While research is growing, the link between effort-reward imbalance and burnout in elderly care workers remains underexplored. Objective: To explore how demographic and work-related variables as well as workplace stress factors (effort, reward, overcommitment) are associated with employee burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment). Method: We conducted a quantitative cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire with 227 participants (aged 40–65) working in the domestic elderly care sector. The Effort-Reward Imbalance instrument was used to measure workplace stress, while the Maslach Burnout Inventory was employed to assess burnout. Descriptive statistical tests, Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA test and Spearman’s correlation were applied. Results: Men experienced significantly higher depersonalization H(1) = 5.612; p = 0.018). The number of years spent in the profession showed a positive significant correlation with depersonalization (rs = 0.155, p = 0.019). With an increase in years spent in the workplace, emotional exhaustion (rs = 0.145, p = 0.029) and depersonalization (rs = 0.206, p = 0.002) also increased. Higher emotional exhaustion was associated with significantly greater effort (rs = 0.489, p<0.001), overcommitment (rs = 0.434, p<0.001), and effort-reward imbalance (rs = 0.515, p<0.001) as well as significantly lower perceived rewards (rs = –0.336, p<0.001). Greater emotional exhaustion was linked to significantly higher effort (rs = 0.305, p<0.001), overcommitment (rs = 0.147, p = 0.027) and effort-reward imbalance (rs = 0.343, p<0.001), while the reward was significantly lower (rs = –0.306, p<0.001). Conclusion: Based on the research findings, managing workplace stress is essential for preventing burnout among elderly care workers, as it can increase the risk of anxiety, depression, and psychosomatic symptoms. For individual prevention, it may be important to learn stress management techniques, maintain a work-life balance, set boundaries, and seek professional support. Orv Hetil. 2025; 166(22): 847–855.