Burnout Syndrome in Psychiatrists in Slovakia: A National Survey

Abstract

No study that would deal with the prevalence of burnout syndrome in psychiatrists has been carried out in Slovakia to date, even though it is a high-risk profession. We have therefore investigated the symptoms of burnout in physicians within all Slovak psychiatric workplaces, in relation to individual differences. The participants filled in the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Questionnaire for Identification of Stress Level and Burnout Syndrome. We aimed to detect their levels of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment as well as physical, psychological, emotional, and social symptoms of work-related stress and burnout. The remaining items of our interest concerned the participants’ age, length of practice, gender, provision of the institutional emergency care, and type of workplace. Over one third of Slovak psychiatrists expressed a low degree of personal accomplishment, one quarter reported a high level of depersonalization and nearly one half suffered a high level of emotional exhaustion. Not only the levels of emotional and physical symptoms, but also the overall level of burnout, were significantly higher in female psychiatrists. More experienced psychiatrists as well as those who do not provide the institutional emergency care expressed higher levels of personal accomplishment. To address the issues revealed both in our study and the previous research we recommend implementation of measures focused on the support of mental health of healthcare workers across the whole society. In addition, more attention is needed to the active use of preventive measures at all psychiatric workplaces by both the employers and the psychiatrists themselves.