Showing papers on "Emotional exhaustion published in 1995"

Emotional intelligence and the construction and regulation of feelings

Abstract: Emotionally intelligent people are defined in part as those who regulate their emotions according to a logically consistent model of emotional functioning. We indentify and compare several models of emotion regulation; for example, one internally consistent model includes tenets such as “happiness should be optimized over the lifetime.” Next, we apply that internally consistent model to the way a person can intervene in mood construction and regulation at non-, low-, and high-conscious levels of experience. Research related to the construction and regulation of emotion at each of these levels is reviewed. Finally, we connect our concept of emotionally intelligent regulation to its potential applications to personality and clinical psychology.

Burnout and psychiatric disorder among cancer clinicians.

Abstract: The prevalence and causes of 'burnout' and psychiatric disorder among senior oncologists and palliative care specialists have been measured in a national questionnaire-based survey. All consultant non-surgical oncologists in the UK were asked to participate. Sources of work-related stress and satisfaction were measured using study-specific questions which were aggregated into factors. Psychiatric disorder was estimated using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. The three components of 'burnout'--emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and low personal accomplishment--were assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Three hundred and ninety-three out of 476 (83%) consultants returned their questionnaires. The estimated prevalence of psychiatric disorder in cancer clinicians was 28%, and this is similar to the rate among British junior house officers. The study group had equivalent levels of emotional exhaustion and low personal accomplishment to those found in American doctors and nurses, but lower levels of depersonalisation. Among cancer clinicians, 'burnout' was more prevalent among clinical oncologists than among medical oncologists and palliative care specialists. Psychiatric disorder was independently associated with the stress of feeling overloaded (P < 0.0001), dealing with treatment toxicity/errors (P < 0.004) and deriving little satisfaction from professional status/esteem (P = 0.002). 'Burnout' was also related to these factors, and in addition was associated with high stress and low satisfaction from dealing with patients, and with low satisfaction from having adequate resources (each at a level of P < or = 0.002). Clinicians who felt insufficiently trained in communication and management skills had significantly higher levels of distress than those who felt sufficiently trained. If 'burnout' and psychiatric disorder among cancer clinicians are to be reduced, increased resources will be required to lessen overload and to improve training in communication and management skills.

Burnout and coping among Chinese secondary school teachers in Hong Kong

Abstract: The tripartite components of burnout and eight coping strategies were assessed in a sample of 415 Chinese secondary school teachers in Hong Kong. While emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation were relatively undifferentiated among these teachers, a reduced sense of accomplishment as a distinct component of burnout was generally reported. The findings that avoidant coping strategies were consistently related to all three aspects of burnout suggested that teachers employing escape-avoidance to cope with stressors might be more prone to burnout. Implications for promoting certain patterns of coping to combat burnout were discussed.

The Claybury community psychiatric nurse stress study: is it more stressful to work in hospital or the community?

Abstract: The Claybury community psychiatric nurse (CPN) stress study collected data on stress levels in 250 CPNs and 323 ward-based psychiatric nurses (WBPN) in the North East Thames region. Four out of 10 CPNs were found to be experiencing high levels of psychological distress on GHQ scores. Whilst both CPNs and WBPNs scored highly on scores of occupational burnout, especially on emotional exhaustion scores, WBPNs scored worse on emotional detachment from their patients and were achieving less personal fulfilment from their work. Both groups of nurses were more satisfied with direct patient clinical work than with their employment conditions, particularly their working environments and, for CPNs, their relationships with their managers. The different patterns of coping skills are explored and discussed for both groups of nurses, especially the use of social support, time management and organization of tasks. The study concludes that whilst major changes are occurring in the psychiatric arena for both groups of nurses, stress is reaping its toll on mental health nurses, in terms of higher absence rates, lower self-esteem and personal unfulfilment. This could not only affect the quality of patient care but also future career prospects for nurses. The study invites serious consideration of introducing stress-reducing measures in the work-place as well as further research into specific stressors for different groups of nurses.

A contextual-moderator analysis of emotional autonomy and adjustment in adolescence.

Abstract: This study investigated the relation between emotional autonomy, as measured by Steinberg and Silverberg's Emotional Autonomy Scale (EA), and adolescent adjustment as moderated by several individual, familial, and cultural contexts. Subjects were 96 adolescents (10-18 years old) and their mothers and teachers. Results indicate that when the affective nature of the parent-adolescent relationship is positive (e.g., maternal warmth is high or intensity of parent-adolescent conflict is low), positive adolescent adjustment is more likely when adolescents report less emotional autonomy. On the other hand, when the family environment is more stressful, emotional autonomy is positively associated with adolescent adjustment. Findings suggest that higher scores on the EA scale index emotional detachment from parents and that such detachment is detrimental in supportive familial environments but adaptive in less supportive familial environments. That emotional detachment from parents appears to serve a protective function in certain stressful situations is viewed as analogous to the adoption of an avoidant attachment strategy during infancy.

Perfectionism, humor, and optimism as moderators of health outcomes and determinants of coping styles of women executives.

Abstract: Previous research has indicated that humor, optimism, and perfectionism are ubiquitous human tendencies and traits affecting the performance and coping styles of women in the work place. The purpose of the present series of studies was to provide a more rigorous test of the hypothesis that certain personality attributes buffer the impact of daily hassles on health outcomes among female executives. Three studies were conducted to examine how perfectionism, humor, and optimism moderate the deleterious effects of daily hassles on self-esteem, burnout, and physical health. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that all attributes significantly moderated the relationship between daily hassles and self-esteem maintenance, emotional exhaustion, and physical illness. A fourth study examined the correlations between high levels of perfectionism, humor, and optimism and female executives' use of different coping strategies and orientations. The results provide implications for the early socialization and management training of female executives working in stressful environments.

Performance and burnout in intensive care units

Abstract: The relationship between three different performance measures and burnout was explored in 20 Dutch Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Burnout (i.e. emotional exhaustion and depersonalization) proved to be significantly related to nurses' perceptions of performance as well as to objectively assessed unit performance. Subjective performance measures relate negatively to burnout levels of nurses, whereas an objective performance measure relates positively to burnout. Furthermore, subjectively assessed personal performance (i.e. personal accomplishment) is more strongly related to burnout than subjectively assessed unit performance. A model test of the relationship between both types of subjective performance and burnout reveals that nurses' perception of unit performance is indirectly related to burnout through perception of personal performance. This model holds similarly for objectively well- and poor-performing ICUs.

Burnout in occupational therapists and physical therapists working in head injury rehabilitation.

Abstract: OBJECTIVES Burnout has been linked to job retention in occupational therapy, physical therapy, and other health professions. Professional development activities are often suggested to reduce burnout, but little empirical evidence supports this contention. This study explored the prevalence of burnout among occupational and physical therapists working in head injury rehabilitation and evaluated the relationship between burnout and professional development activities. METHOD Forty therapists working full-time in head injury rehabilitation were surveyed. Correlations between subscale scores of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (i.e., Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Personal Accomplishment) and responses to a survey of professional development activities are reported. RESULTS Professional development activities are most strongly associated with feelings of personal accomplishment. Emotional exhaustion was relatively high among these therapists, but few feelings of depersonalization were evident. CONCLUSIONS Professional development activities in the workplace may augment feelings of personal accomplishment and minimize burnout as an issue in job retention. Strategies to effectively identify and manage therapists' feelings of emotional exhaustion require further study.

Job burnout and job leaving in public school teachers: Implications for stress management

Abstract: This study addressed the questions of whether selected teacher and organizational variables contributed to (a) significant amounts of variance in teachers' scores on three components of burnout, and (b) teachers' intentions to leave special education teaching. Study participants (N =490) included a sample of respondents to a survey of all of the 1096 special education teachers in Hawaii. Instruments used in this study included the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Porter Need Satisfaction Questionnaire, and the Special Education Teacher Survey. Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that for the burnout components, Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization, relatively large and significant amounts of variance could be accounted for by a set of predictor variables. For the third burnout component, Personal Accomplishment, the variance accounted for by a set of predictor variables was significant but small. Stepwise discriminant function analysis was used to distinguish between teachers who stated they did or did not intend to leave special education teaching. Eight variables were identified as predictors of “Intention to leave special education teaching, ” correctly classifying 73% of teachers into the appropriate “Yes-Leaving” and “No-Leaving” groups.

Direct and Buffering Effects of Internal Locus of Control Among Mental Health Professionals

Abstract: In a study of Pennsylvania clinical social workers and New York State mental health professionals, counselors with internal locus of control beliefs had more favorable scores on a number of work-related variables. For example, internal counselors reported higher job and life satisfaction, less emotional exhaustion (burnout), a neater sense of success in their work, and more favorable attitudes toward clients. For the sample of intensive case managers of severely menially ill clients, a significant and consistent buffering effect of internality was found. Only for workers with external beliefs (on a newly-developed measure of counselor locus of control) did job strain and negative work altitudes result in diminished life satisfaction and intentions to quit one's job. Secondary analyses failed to find conditions for which externality was beneficial or internality dysfunctional. The advantages of internality were consistent and pervasive. Among recommendations discussed is the incorporation of a personal con...

The evaluation of a burnout workshop for community nurses.

Abstract: This study evaluates the effects of a burnout workshop that was conducted for community nurses (N = 64). The workshop included relaxation training, didactic and cognitive stress management, interpersonal skills training, and the enhancement of a more realistic professional role. The nurses' symptom levels (i.e., emotional exhaustion, tedium, psychological strain, and somatic complaints decreased significantly. However no significant changes were observed in the attitudinal component of burnout: the nurses' negative attitudes toward their recipients (depersonalization) and toward their performance on the job (reduced personal accomplishment) did not decrease. In addition, personality (i.e., the nurses' level of reactivity) played a moderating role: low reactive nurses who, by definition, are rather resistant to stress benefited more from the workshop than did high reactive nurses who are less resistant to stress. Since no control group was included, the results of this study are tentative and should be confirmed by future research.

Dimensions of Career Burnout among Educators

Abstract: In a 1982 survey of the professoriate, Fedler and Counts found little evidence of career burnout in the mass communication educators they surveyed. The study conceptualized burnout as "workers becoming bored or discontented with jobs they have held for many years" (Fedler & Counts, 1982; p.6). The researchers reported that faculty who had been teaching for 20 to 30 years were generally as satisfied with their work as were professors with only a few years' experience. However, Viswanath et al.'s 1993 survey of mass media educators found significant levels of job stress among communication professors, indicating the possible presence of burnout in the journalism and mass communications field. The present study investigates the degree and character of career burnout among mass communication educators, using a framework advanced by Maslach and Jackson (1981;1986). The Maslach Burnout Inventory conceptualizes burnout as a three-dimensional variable consisting of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced feelings of personal accomplishment. Job Satisfaction. There is no evidence that professors of mass communication are much different from their peers in other academic disciplines. Weaver and Wilhoit (1988) found that journalism and mass communications professors tended to have more professional experience, a higher overall morale, and appeared to be less socially isolated than their colleagues in many other academic areas. Across most demographics, however, professors were generally similar to faculty of other disciplines. At least five studies since 1982 have examined the attitudes of college-level mass communication faculty toward their jobs. Fedler and Counts (1982), Fedler et al. (1984), Weaver and Wilhoit (1988), Viswanath et al. (1999) and Plopper and Rollberg (1994) have all assessed the professional satisfactions of mass media educators to one degree or another. As a whole, the five studies show a largely contented journalism and mass communications faculty population, one satisfied with the rewards of their profession. However, a significant minority has been identified who are unhappy with working conditions, the quality of their students, their salary levels, and the onslaught of additional work responsibilities. Fedler and Counts reported that although 83 percent of their respondents were "very" or "moderately" satisfied with their jobs overall, roughly 35 percent felt underpaid. Weaver and Wilhoit found inadequate compensation to be a leading dissatisfaction within the profession, with 23 percent of the sample citing it as such. Faculty earning power in the United States has, in fact, stalled over recent years, owing to an economic recession and flagging financial support for colleges and universities. The real (adjusted for inflation) overall average salary level of college faculty decreased by more than one-half percent between 1989-1990 and 1990-1991--the first fall of real average faculty salaries since 1981. While modest gains in 1993 helped to rectify a flat salary picture, the low degree of recent pay increases has barely addressed the rate of inflation (Cage 1994).(1) In addition, the operating budgets of a majority of departments contacted by Kosicki and Becker(1994) have been either stagnating or decreasing. Heavy work requirements were another frequently cited complaint of professors. Plopper and Rollberg's survey of 314 senior mass communication professors found a number of dissatisfactions related to time constraints: 78 percent of respondents reported that they lacked the time to do all that was required of them, while half said they lacked the time to adequately evaluate student work. Seventy-eight percent believed it was impossible to read all of the publications necessary for their teaching and research duties, and nearly half reported that the amount of work required of them cut into their personal lives. Complaints about the academic abilities of students are also elements in two of the five studies. …

Burnout in recently qualified physiotherapists in South Australia

Abstract: Burnout has been shown to be present in experienced physiotherapists and other health professionals, but the prevalence in recently graduated physiotherapists has not been established. This study used the Maslach Burnout Inventory to determine the prevalence of burnout in physiotherapists working in South Australia who had been qualified for less than five years. Sixty per cent of subjects were found to have moderate to high levels of emotional exhaustion, the key characteristic of burnout. High or moderate depersonalisations were recorded by 44 per cent of subjects. These levels were higher than those found in experienced physiotherapists (Solowij 1992). Burnout is related to attrition from the profession, absenteeism and reduced quality of care for patients, as well as physical and psychological symptoms.

Test-retest reliability of a psychometric instrument designed to measure physical therapy students' burnout.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the reproducibility of scores on an instrument designed to measure physical therapy students' burnout. Physical therapy students (28 juniors and 28 seniors) completed an adapted educator's version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory on two occasions within a week interval. At each testing session, a separate score was obtained for each student for the three (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment) subscales of the instrument. These scores, analyzed with a two-factor repeated-measures analysis of variance, indicated a significant difference in the personal accomplishment score between the junior and senior students during the two time frames. Scheffe post hoc tests showed that the junior students reported higher personal accomplishment affect at both testing sessions than the senior students. Both junior and senior students reported higher personal accomplishment at retest than at baseline testing. A test-retest reliability coefficient of .850 was obtained for the Depersonalization subscale; .907 and .715 were obtained for the Emotional Exhaustion and Personal Accomplishment subscales, respectively.

An Assessment of Burnout in Human Service Providers

Abstract: Burnout is an occupational hazard for human service providers. The chronic emotional stress associated with the provision of human services produces "a syndrome of physical and emotional exhaustion, involving the development of negative self concept, negative job attitudes, and a loss of concern and feelings for clients" (Pines & Maslach, 1978, page 224). Some individuals seem more predisposed than others to burnout. "Feeling" personality types (as classified by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) experience a much greater depletion of emotional energy in the face of negative reactions to people than do "thinking" types (Garden, 1987). In addition, those who are more likely to become emotionally involved in their work are more likely to burn out than those who have a more detached workstyle (Freudenberger, 1975). Leiter (1991) has suggested that burnout may be inevitable for all personality types, due to the conflict between the idealistic "professional mystique" with which aspiring human service providers are endowed during their training and the harsh realities of working in the human service profession. People who enter the human service profession expect their jobs to be full of challenging experiences. They anticipate many emotionally rewarding interactions with grateful consumers, an air of camaraderie among their coworkers, and an administration that allows them autonomy in decision making and rewards their initiatives. All too often, however, they find that their consumers resent them as yet another authority figure in the bureaucratic leviathan. In some work settings, such as child welfare departments, the difficulties in negotiating the legal system, the limited capabilities of the consumers to help themselves, and the emotionally gripping nature of the tragedies of the innocent can make even relatively small caseloads overly oppressive (Jayaratne & Chess, 1984). Instead of new, challenging experiences, many human service providers find that their jobs involve going through the same tedious bureaucratic exercises every day (Freudenberger, 1975; Kafry & Pines, 1980; Pines & Kafry, 1978). Positive feedback, which is an important stress reliever in many situations, is scarce (Kafry & Pines, 1980; Pines & Kafry, 1978; Streepy, 1981). Coworkers and clinical supervisors who are already burned out are not a good source of camaraderie and social support. Staff meetings, which can provide a setting for this badly needed support, are often too technical and clinical to provide a break from the routine (Ursprung, 1986). Because of the numerous regulations associated with most government agency administrations, individual autonomy is compromised and individual initiatives may be restricted (Cherniss, 1980; Kafry & Pines, 1980; Pines & Kafry, 1978; Raquepaw & Miller, 1989). Not only is the inability to exercise one's own judgements frustrating, but many service providers feel that funds are frequently allocated according to political and statistical concerns, rather than in a manner that maximizes the efficiency with which services are delivered to the consumers (Edelwich & Brodsky, 1980). Burnout has many undesirable consequences, among them stress-related psychosomatic illness, social withdrawal, substance abuse and the deterioration of significant familial and personal relationships (Freudenberger, 1975; Maslach & Jackson, 1986). In addition, burned out workers have been shown to be more likely to neglect important aspects of their jobs (Quattrochi-Tubin, Jones & Breedlove, 1982), or to demonstrate faulty judgements that may impair the level of service that they provide to their consumers (McGee, 1989). The present study measured burnout in the employees of three human service agencies in northwestern North Carolina, in an attempt to identify specific agencies for whose staff therapeutic interventions might be necessary. Method Participants Participants were recruited from the State Department of Social Services, JOBS Program (DSS), the State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Unit Office (DVR) and Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina (GWI). …

The relationship between team friendships and burnout among residential counselors.

Abstract: The relationship between team friendships and burnout was investigated. The participants were counselors from 16 work teams in a short-term residential facility for emotionally disturbed children and adolescents that was located in the United States. The burnout dimensions were lack of personal accomplishment, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization (Maslach & Jackson, 1986). Reciprocal nominations between team members were used as a measure of team friendships. Friendship between members of the same team was positively related to personal accomplishment and inversely related to emotional exhaustion. The frequency of three aspects of team friendships was also examined: personal discussions, work discussions, and having fun. Having fun with a team friend was positively related to personal accomplishment, and having work discussions with a team friend was inversely related to depersonalization. The women reported more frequent contact with team friends than the men did.

Stress and Working with Drug Misusers

Abstract: Although it is a common belief that working with drug misusers is relatively stressing, there is very little empirical evidence for or against this contention. As a pilot survey, sixty staff working in 10 inner-city drug de pendency treatment clinics were assessed by questionnaire for burnout levels, work satisfaction, perceived causes of stress, and strategies or situations to prevent or alleviate stress. While scores of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation were expressed in the direction of burnout, self ratings of personal effectiveness remained high and about half were satisfied with their job. Factors relating to high workload, superiors and management were perceived as highly pressuring, but at the other extreme, conflict between work and home demand gave rise to few problems. Relationships with relatives, partners or friends, were rated as most protective against stress. Factors which may contribute to stress are discussed as well as putative strategies to avoid or alleviate it.

The emotional computer

Abstract: Part 1 The neural computer and the emotional system: the emotional system the neural computer biosocial laws human society. Part 2 Emotional control of the body: emotional control of the digestive system emotional control of entries to the body emotional control of fatigue and danger. Part 3 Emotional control of society: emotional laws of laughter and language emotional laws of crying, shame, and smiling emotional laws of anger and revenge emotional laws of the ethical system emotional laws of the religious system.

The "Emotional Burnout" Syndrome As an Indicator of the Teacher's Professional Disadaptation

Abstract: Analysis has shown that the school educator's professional labor is distinguished by high emotional stress. It is difficult even to list all the factors causing stress in the teacher's activity, factors that can by nature be both objective and subjective. For example, the teacher's average work week (which L. F. Kolesnikov has estimated at fifty-two hours—much higher than the forty-hour work week that has been established for the country) can be considered a normal situation, but compared to the other professions it may seem a hurtful or emotionally stressful [emotiogenic] factor [18].

Social and Emotional Development II

Abstract: As infants grow older and their interactions with others increase in number and complexity, newer types of social relations emerge. These new social relations involve more than just proximity-establishing and proximity-maintaining behaviors. To understand the nature of these new social relations, consider the following hypothetical situations. In the first, several infants are isolated from normal society and left to develop on their own, and we observe what interactional patterns emerge and evolve. We compare that group to a second group of infants who grow up in two-parent families comprising several siblings and who attend well-supervised day care programs followed by preschool, etc. Most people would probably agree that we would observe significant differences in the interactional patterns between both groups.

Promoting a healthy workforce: a clinical case presentation

Abstract: This article presents the treatment of a group of health care workers admitted to a psychiatric hospital and considers the prevention of emotional exhaustion and the risk of mental illness among health care workers. A psychotherapy group provides the case material in which the carers discuss and describe their inability to seek help through fear of recrimination.

The Degree and Related Factors of the Depression and Burnout among Private Practice Physicians

Abstract: In order to investigate the prevalence and the factors related to the depression and burnout among private practice physicians, a SDS(self-rating depression scale) and MBI(Maslach burnout inventory) -based questionnaire study was performed on 344 private practice physicians in Kwangju and Chonnam area. The results were summarized as follows. 1. Mean SDS score was 38.3 in total subjects and the prevalence rate of depression was 48.8%. As for the frequency order of the items of the SDS, decreased libido, diurnal variation and hopelessness were relatively high, and suicidal rumination, constipation and agitation were noted low. 2. Noticeable factors related with depression were smoking, coffee use, sleeping time and satisfaction with income. 3. As a result a factor analysis with the MBI data, five factors named as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, personal accomplishment, involvement and self-interest were extracted. Statistical analysis of the data demonstrated that 48.8% of the physician sample reported high scores on emotional exhaustion, and 45.3% scored high on depersonalization. Personal accomplishment scores remained high with 45.3% reporting high personal accomplishment. 4. Variables related to the burnout were age, sleeping time, family size religion, medical speciality, duration of practice setting, visiting patient number, closing day per month and job satisfaction. 5. In the relationship with depression, burnout was closely related to depression. Above results showed that the high percentage of private practice physicians experiencing depression and burnout suggests the need for further research to establish trends, to identify causal factors, and to develop avenues to reduce stress.

Children's Responses to Adult Conflict as a Function of Conflict History: Testing the Emotional Security Hypothesis.

Abstract: This study tested the theoretical proposition that family histories of destructive adult conflict reduce children's emotional security. Subjects were 112 children--ages 6, 11, and 19 years--with equal numbers of males and females in each age group. Subjects viewed the videotapes of an adult couple engaged in either a destructive conflict or a constructive conflict. Next, both groups of children witnessed a standard conflict between the same couple. To assess the impact on emotional security, children were then interviewed concerning their negative emotional reactivity, avoidance of conflict, and internal representations of future adult hostility. Results showed that the destructive conflict histories elicited greater insecurity among children across all three assessment. However, insecurity was expressed in different ways across age and gender. (WP) , )' **************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************.AA******************* * U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION e ara ..... : EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER E RIC, *Kh,S docornert bPon reproduced ds received from the person or orpnization originating a D M.Orrf oranges have neen made tO improve I eproduClgril Qualuly Pe.ntS of view or opullonS staled in this 'tor rf, necessarily represent OE RI pos.t.oll or poi.cv