[A burning challenge in emergency care: burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and psychological immune competence].

Introduction: Emergency healthcare professionals are continuously exposed to high stress, managing a wide spectrum of critical and non-critical cases. Frequent traumatic events and high emotional workload increase the risk of burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Psychological immune competence, as a stable intrapersonal resource, may support coping and resilience.

Objective: This study examined associations between psychological immune competence and burnout dimensions, i.e., emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), personal accomplishment (PA), and secondary traumatic stress in emergency staff. Secondary objectives included differences by sex, age, and occupational group.

Methods: 72 healthcare professionals at the Semmelweis University Department of Emergency Medicine (48% of total clinical staff) completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Psychological Immune Competence Questionnaire (PIK), and Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS) online. Reliability was assessed, and correlations and group differences were evaluated using non-parametric tests.

Results: PIK scores correlated negatively with MBI-EE (ρ = -0.63) and MBI-DP (ρ = -0.56) and positively with MBI-PA (ρ = 0.64; p<0.001). STSS scores correlated positively with emotional exhaustion (ρ = 0.56) and negatively with PIK (ρ = -0.37). Women reported higher emotional exhaustion and STSS scores. Age and occupational role were not protective. Less than half of the total clinical staff participated, which may limit generalizability.

Discussion: Stronger psychological immune competence mitigates burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Lack of individual psychological resources increases emotional exhaustion risk, while age and occupational role alone offer no protection. Sex differences suggest the need for targeted, resource-focused interventions.

Conclusion: Psychological immune competence is a key factor in burnout and secondary traumatic stress among emergency staff. Enhancing individual resources, combined with organizational interventions, may improve staff well-being and resilience. Orv Hetil. 2026; 167(34): 1335-1342.