Showing papers on "Emotional exhaustion published in 2002"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compared two perspectives of emotional labor as predictors of burnout beyond the effects of negative affectivity: job-focused emotional labor (work demands regarding emotion expression) and employee focused emotional labour (regulation of feelings and emotional expression).
2,003 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the state of the art on emotion work (emotional labor) is summarized with an emphasis on its effects on well-being, including automatic emotion regulation, surface acting, and deep acting.
1,172 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the role of emotional intelligence in mood and self-esteem regulation, and found that individuals with higher emotional intelligence showed less of a decrease in positive mood after a negative state induction using the Velten method, and showed more of an increase in positive m...
Abstract: Both theory and previous research suggest a link between emotional intelligence and emotional well-being. Emotional intelligence includes the ability to understand and regulate emotions; emotional well-being includes positive mood and high self-esteem. Two studies investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence and mood, and between emotional intelligence and self-esteem. The results of these studies indicated that higher emotional intelligence was associated with characteristically positive mood and higher self-esteem. The results of a third study indicated that higher emotional intelligence was associated with a higher positive mood state and greater state self-esteem. The third study also investigated the role of emotional intelligence in mood and self-esteem regulation and found that individuals with higher emotional intelligence showed less of a decrease in positive mood and self-esteem after a negative state induction using the Velten method, and showed more of an increase in positive m...
458 citations
TL;DR: The study's results indicate that teachers' self-efficacy beliefs are related to their burnout level and seem to be more prepared to experiment with, and later also to implement new educational practices.
Abstract: Background. In the Netherlands, secondary education has seen radical changes that originated with the national authorities, including the Study-home system, a pupilcentred approach in which teachers help develop pupils’ independent working and creative thinking in order to get them to take responsibility for their own academic achievements. As educational innovations are more often than not accompanied by stress, the present study focuses on the onset of burnout among teachers who recently implemented this innovative system in the Netherlands. Aims. To test hypotheses that the extent to which teachers have a negative attitude towards the new instructional practices relates positively to their level of burnout, and that their self-efficacy beliefs regarding implementation of the practices and coping with stress involved in this relate negatively to their burnout levels. Sample. A random sample of 490 teachers employed in the Study-home system participated in this study. Methods. Three questionnaires were used. The Dutch version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory for teachers (Schaufeli & Van Horn, 1995) was used to assess the teachers’ burnout level. Second, a specially developed self-efficacy questionnaire relating to the domains of: (1) guiding groups of students using the principle of differentiation, (2) involving pupils with tasks and (3) use of innovative educational practices. Last, a questionnaire on the teachers’ attitudes concerning the usefulness and effectiveness of the Study-home as an educational innovation. Results. Regression analyses showed that the self-efficacy beliefs for each of the three domains were significantly and negatively related to the depersonalisation and emotional exhaustion dimensions of burnout, and significantly positively related to the personal accomplishment dimension. Furthermore, the more negative the teachers’ attitudes towards the Study-home appeared to be, the more they appeared
449 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the nature of employment and the conditions of work in five telephone call centres in the telecommunications industry in Australia and identified the factors that are associated with emotional exhaustion and the frequency of absence amongst the employees.
Abstract: This paper examines the nature of employment and the conditions of work in five telephone call centres in the telecommunications industry in Australia. Call centre work typically requires high levels of sustained interpersonal interaction with customers which can lead to burnout and employee withdrawal. Customer service staff can also become targets of customer hostility and abuse. In addition, this form of work tends to involve extensive employee monitoring and surveillance with little job discretion or variety of tasks. The paper draws upon survey data from 480 telephone service operators to identify the factors that are associated with emotional exhaustion and the frequency of absence amongst the employees. A modelling of the data using LISREL VIII revealed that a number of job and work-setting variables affected the level of emotional exhaustion of employees. These included interactions with the customer, a high workload and a lack of variety of work tasks. Moreover, higher rates of absence were associated with emotional exhaustion.
435 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the relationship between emotional intelligence and sources of occupational stress and outcomes on a sample of professionals in mental health institutions and found that high scorers in overall EI suffered less stress related to occupational environment, suggesting a new role for EI as a determinant of employee loyalty to organizations.
Abstract: The purpose of the present study is to explore the relationship between emotional intelligence and sources of occupational stress and outcomes on a sample of professionals in mental health institutions. A total of 212 participants were administered the Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire as well as the Organizational Stress Screening Tool (ASSET), a new organizational screening tool, which measures workplace stress. The results were in the expected direction showing a negative correlation between emotional intelligence and stress at work, indicating that high scorers in overall EI suffered less stress related to occupational environment. A positive correlation was also found between emotional intelligence and organizational commitment, which according to the ASSET model is considered as a consequence of stress, suggesting a new role for EI as a determinant of employee loyalty to organizations. Finally, the relationship between EI, job stress, and various demographic variables such as gender, age, and education was investigated and results are discussed in the light of the organizational framework.
419 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a model linking perceptions of job insecurity to emotional reactions and negative coping behaviors. But their model is based on the idea that emotional variables explain, in part, discrepant findings reported in previous research, and they propose that emotional intelligence moderates employees' emotional reactions to job insecurity and their ability to cope with associated stress.
Abstract: We present a model linking perceptions of job insecurity to emotional reactions and negative coping behaviors. Our model is based on the idea that emotional variables explain, in part, discrepant findings reported in previous research. In particular, we propose that emotional intelligence moderates employees' emotional reactions to job insecurity and their ability to cope with associated stress. In this respect, low emotional intelligence employees are more likely than high emotional intelligence employees to experience negative emotional reactions to job insecurity and to adopt negative coping strategies.
412 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a motivational model of work turnover was proposed and tested, which posits that feelings of relatedness toward work colleagues and feelings of competence jointly and positively affect self-determined work motivation, which in turn facilitates work satisfaction but prevents emotional exhaustion.
Abstract: The purpose of this article was to propose and test a motivational model of work turnover. The model posits that feelings of relatedness toward work colleagues and feelings of competence jointly and positively affect self-determined work motivation, which in turn facilitates work satisfaction but prevents emotional exhaustion. Moreover, work satisfaction and emotional exhaustion respectively lead to negative and positive effects on turnover intentions. Finally, over time, turnover intentions translate into turnover behavior. A total of 490 alumni from a school of administration completed a questionnaire assessing the various components of the motivational model. Results from structural equation modeling analyses (with EQS; Bentler, 1992) supported the motivational model. Results are discussed in light of the relevant literature, and future research directions are proposed.
377 citations
TL;DR: Assessment of stress and the three components of burnout using structural equation modelling in a 3-year longitudinal study of a representative sample of 331 UK doctors found reciprocal causation between emotional exhaustion and stress.
363 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a study was conducted to investigate the relationship between performance monitoring and well-being, and examined the relative effects of performance monitoring, work context, and emotional labor on wellbeing.
Abstract: A study was conducted to investigate the relationship between performance monitoring and well-being. It also examined a mechanism, namely emotional labor, that might mediate the relationship between them, assessed the effect of the work context on the relationship between performance monitoring and well-being, and examined the relative effects of performance monitoring and work context on well-being. Three aspects of performance monitoring were covered, namely, its performance-related content (i.e., immediacy of feedback, clarity of performance criteria), its beneficial-purpose (i.e., developmental rather than punitive aims), and its perceived intensity. The participants were 347 customer service agents in two U.K. call centers who completed a battery of questionnaire scales. Regression analyses revealed that the performance-related content and the beneficial-purpose of monitoring were positively related to well-being, while perceived intensity had a strong negative association with well-being. Emotional labor did not mediate the relationship between monitoring and well-being in the form hypothesized, although it was related to these two factors. Work context (job control, problem solving demand, supervisory support) did not mediate the relationship between monitoring and well-being, but job control and supervisory support did moderate the relationship between perceived intensity and well-being. Relative to other study variables, perceived intensity showed stronger associations with emotional exhaustion, while job control and supervisory support tended to show stronger associations with depression and job satisfaction. Implications for theory, practice, and future research are discussed.
338 citations
TL;DR: Higher than expected levels of emotional exhaustion were found in a large sample of first-year undergraduate dental students in Europe and some evidence showed that contact with patients and the level of support afforded by living at home may be protective.
Abstract: Objectives: To determine the degree of psychological distress, the experience of emotional exhaustion, and the extent of stress associated with course work in dental students and to compare these measurements among seven European dental schools.
Design: Multi-centred survey.
Setting: Dental Schools at Amsterdam, Belfast, Cork, Greifswald, Helsinki, Liverpool and Manchester.
Participants: 333 undergraduate first-year dental students.
Measures: General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Dental Environment Stress Questionnaire (DES), demographic variables.
Procedure: Questionnaire administered to all students attending first year course. Completed questionnaires sent to central office for processing.
Results: Seventy-nine percent of the sampled students responded. Over a third of the students (36%) reported significant psychological distress (morbidity) at the recommended cut-off point (>3 on GHQ). These scores were similar to those reported for medical undergraduates. Twenty-two percent recorded comparatively high scores on emotional exhaustion. A wide variation in these 2 measurements was found across schools (p's 0.5). Some evidence showed that contact with patients and the level of support afforded by living at home may be protective.
Conclusion: Higher than expected levels of emotional exhaustion were found in a large sample of first-year undergraduate dental students in Europe.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report results of a survey of CPAs working under a flexible work arrangement and a similar group of CPA who appear to be plausible candidates for a standard arrangement.
Abstract: The majority of public accounting firms now offer flexible work arrangements to their professional employees. Presumably these arrangements help accommodate employee needs to manage work and family demands, while also improving job satisfaction and retention. The ability of flexible work arrangements to achieve these goals has received little attention. The current paper addresses this issue by reporting the results of a survey of CPAs working under a flexible work arrangement and a similar group of CPAs working under a standard arrangement but who appear to be plausible candidates for a flexible work arrangement. The survey elicited information about several key employment variables: job‐related stressors (e.g., role conflict, role ambiguity, and role overload), burnout tendencies (e.g., emotional exhaustion, reduced personal accomplishment, and depersonalization) and behavioral job outcomes (e.g., job satisfaction and turnover intentions). Results show that CPAs on flexible work arrangements report high...
TL;DR: In this paper, the prevalence of burnout in academic departments of obstetrics and gynecology, identify important stressors, and develop strategies to treat and prevent burnout.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compared anxiety, coping styles and burnout according to the frequency of aggressive experiences and found that emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were significantly higher in those staff more frequently victimized suggesting that aggressive encounte...
Abstract: Although an increasing problem, the aggression ( physical assault, threatening behaviour and verbal aggression) directed toward general hospital staff rather than staff in psychiatric institutions has not been widely investigated. The present study first compared anxiety, coping styles and burnout according to the frequency of aggressive experiences. Second, a sub-sample was examined to determine any immediate after-effects from aggressive encounters. Healthcare staff ( n = 375) across professions completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Coping Responses Inventory, which were analysed according to the type and frequency of aggression experienced within the preceding year. There were no significant differences in levels of anxiety or in coping styles. However, significant differences were determined in levels of burnout. Emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were significantly higher in those staff more frequently victimized suggesting that aggressive encounte...
TL;DR: Teachers and support staff in special schools for children with mental retardation completed questionnaires assessing burnout, coping strategies for challenging behavior, and their exposure to challenging behavior showed that use of maladaptive coping Strategies for challenging behaviors constitutes a risk for staff burnout.
Abstract: Although challenging behaviors have been identified as a source of staff stress, few researchers have directly addressed this relationship. In the present study, 55 teachers and support staff in special schools for children with mental retardation completed questionnaires assessing burnout, coping strategies for challenging behavior, and their exposure to challenging behavior. Results showed that (a) use of maladaptive coping strategies for challenging behaviors constitutes a risk for staff burnout, (b) this risk is in addition to that associated with exposure to challenging behavior, and (c) use of maladaptive coping strategies moderated the impact of exposure to challenging behaviors on emotional exhaustion burnout. Implications for future research and for the support of staff working with individuals who have challenging behaviors are discussed.
TL;DR: The results showed that nurses’ personal and professional values play an important role in the degree of burnout they experience and all nurses, therefore, need to identify and clarify their own personal values, beliefs and assumptions about basic truths.
Abstract: The research described in this article was a descriptive study for determining the relationship between the degree of burnout experienced by nurses working in Kocaeli (Turkey), and their personal and professional values. A questionnaire was developed by using information gained from the literature on this subject and from the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The questionnaire was delivered to nurses working in two different hospitals (State Hospital of Izmit and the Golcuk Sea Hospital) in Kocaeli. The sample group was formed from all nurses working in the two hospitals, of whom 160 participated in the study during December 1999 and January 2000. The results showed that nurses' personal and professional values play an important role in the degree of burnout they experience. Equality, altruism and aesthetics were ranked first by those experiencing high levels of emotional exhaustion, and freedom was a priority value for those with a low degree of emotional exhaustion. Freedom, altruism and truth were ranked first by those with prominent feelings of personal accomplishment, and equality and aesthetics were priority values for those with less feeling of personal accomplishment. All nurses, therefore, need to identify and clarify their own personal values, beliefs and assumptions about basic truths.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors measured burnout and job satisfaction among student support services personnel (SSSP) using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) to measure emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment.
Abstract: This study measured burnout and job satisfaction among Student Support Services personnel (SSSP). In it, the researchers used the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) to measure emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Job satisfaction was measured using the Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS), which examined intrinsic, organizational, and salary and promotion. The study correlated three components of burnout with the total mean on job satisfaction. Burnout levels were compared to national norms.
Two-hundred fifty individuals were randomly selected from 1,702 SSSP. This yielded 166 usable surveys, for a response rate of 66 percent. Results, using the Spearman rho and rank transformation regression analysis, were significant. Findings disclosed a significant negative relationship between emotional exhaustion and total job satisfaction, a significant positive relationship between personal accomplishment and total job satisfaction, and an overall significant relationship between the three components of burnout and total job satisfaction.
Dissertation•
23 May 2002
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated two hypothesized antecedents to emotional labor; affectivity and empathy which is conceptualized as a two-dimensional construct composed of emotional contagion and empathic concern, and examined the impact of emotional labor on job satisfaction and exhaustion.
Abstract: Abstract A growing body of literature has confirmed the deleterious effects of emotional labor on service employees. The study adds to it by investigating two hypothesized antecedents to emotional labor; affectivity and empathy which is conceptualized as a two-dimensional construct composed of emotional contagion and empathic concern. It also examines the impact of emotional labor on job satisfaction and exhaustion. The results confirmed a two-dimensional structure of emotional labor, emotive dissonance, and emotive effort. Hospitality employees with higher positive affect tend to experience less emotive dissonance while individuals with higher negative affect exert more effort to enact emotional labor. A positive relationship was found between emotional contagion and emotive dissonance, and emotive effort and job satisfaction. The results also suggested a negative relationship between emotive effort and emotional exhaustion. An unexpected negative relationship was found between emotional dissonance and emotional exhaustion. Managerial implications discuss training and acting techniques to more effectively manage employee emotional labor.
TL;DR: Relationships between experienced aggressive behaviour and burnout of staff caring for residents living in homes for the elderly are examined and physical and psychological aggression and the number of weekly working hours had a significant relationship with emotional exhaustion of staff.
Abstract: This study examines relationships between experienced aggressive behaviour and burnout of staff caring for residents living in homes for the elderly (n = 551). Burnout was conceptualized as a three-dimensional syndrome consisting of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. From the results of the hierarchical regression analyses it appeared that physical and psychological aggression and the number of weekly working hours had a significant relationship with emotional exhaustion of staff. Psychological aggression was found to have a significant relationship with depersonalization. Neither sex nor age had a relationship with any of the burnout dimensions. Implications for research and suggestions for work and training of staff caring for the elderly are discussed. Language: en
TL;DR: The model holds that individuals with PTSD are not, in fact, ‘emotionally numb’ as a result of traumatic experience, Rather, PTSD is associated with hyperresponsivity to negatively valenced emotional stimuli and patients with PTSD require more intense positive stimulation to access the full complement of appetitive or pleasant emotional behaviour.
Abstract: Objective: Despite being understudied and poorly understood relative to the chronic fear, anxiety and other aversive emotional states that occur in the immediate aftermath of trauma, emotional numbing has become a core defining feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Method: This paper seeks to briefly review the literature bearing on these seemingly disparate emotional responses to trauma as well as theoretical accounts of emotional numbing that have been proffered to date. We then offer an alternative theory of posttraumatic emotional functioning and review empirical support for this model.Result: The experience of trauma produces very intense emotions such as overwhelming fear, horror, and anxiety, and these reactions can linger for a lifetime. Many trauma survivors also report restrictions in their emotional experience – a phenomenon most commonly referred to as emotional numbing. In contrast to previous accounts of posttraumatic emotional functioning our model posits that individuals with PTS...
TL;DR: Health care managers and governments should implement strategies that can increase nurses' job satisfaction and reduce burnout, thereby enhancing the retention of oncology/haematology nurses.
Abstract: The impact of the current nursing shortage on the health care system is receiving attention by both state and federal governments. This study, using a convenience sample of 243 oncology/haematology nurses working in 11 Queensland health care facilities, explored factors that influence the quality of nurses' working lives. Although nurses reported high levels of personal satisfaction and personal accomplishment, results indicated that nearly 40% of registered nurses (RNs) are dealing with workloads they perceive excessive, 48% are dissatisfied regarding pay, and professional support is an issue. Furthermore, emotional exhaustion is a very real concern: over 70% of the sample experienced moderate to high levels. Over 48% of the sample could not commit to remaining in the specialty for a further 12 months. Health care managers and governments should implement strategies that can increase nurses' job satisfaction and reduce burnout, thereby enhancing the retention of oncology/haematology nurses.
TL;DR: The author contrasts 2 current models of emotional intelligence, the measurements being used, and the ability of emotional Intelligence to predict success, and implications for the workplace.
Abstract: Emotional intelligence is being touted in the popular literature as an important characteristic for successful leaders. However, caution needs to be exercised regarding the connection between emotional intelligence and workplace success. The author contrasts 2 current models of emotional intelligence, the measurements being used, and the ability of emotional intelligence to predict success. Implications for the workplace are discussed.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the results of a research about the relationship among emotional exhaustion, the perceived organizational support (POS) and coping strategies in the work place, and the second dimension from the emotional exhaustion scale, perception of wear, was significantly predicted only by the factors social support and overload from the POS scale.
Abstract: Emotional exhaustion is regarded as the principal dimension of the burnout Several studies show that characteristics of job setting and the employee are associated with the development of emotional exhaustion This study present the results of a research about the relationship among emotional exhaustion, the perceived organizational support (POS) and coping strategies in the work place 396 workers answered a scale of emotional exhaustion, one of POS and one another of coping The dimensions performance management, overload, social support and promotion and salaries from the POS scale and the dimension escape from the coping scale were significant predictors of the dimension psychological exhaustion from the emotional exhaustion scale The second dimension from the emotional exhaustion scale, perception of wear, was significantly predicted only by the factors social support and overload from the POS scale Recommendations for the management of emotional exhaustion are presented
TL;DR: Levels of tolerance amongst a group of mental health care staff and associations between tolerance and other occupational and stress factors are examined.
Abstract: UK government policy now officially encourages an attitude of 'zero tolerance' towards aggression against health care staff. This study examines levels of such tolerance amongst a group of mental health care staff and associations between tolerance and other occupational and stress factors. Thirty-seven staff completed a Tolerance Scale (from the Perceptions of Aggression Scale) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Tolerance for aggression was higher amongst more experienced staff (P < 0.01) and high tolerance was associated with low emotional exhaustion, low depersonalization and high personal accomplishment (P < 0.01). Some staff endorse positive statements about patient aggression and a tolerant attitude may be linked to low burnout. Nurse attitudes to patient aggression therefore are complex and do not necessarily equate with an approach of 'zero tolerance'.
TL;DR: Coping strategies were not associated with the level of either trauma symptoms or burnout, and despite employing positive coping strategies, their efficacy may be affected by other interpersonal, intra-individual and job resource issues.
Abstract: The aim of the study was to explore the degree (and type) of burnout and trauma symptoms, personal histories and coping strategies retrospectively reported by those who work with maltreated children and their families. A self-selected sample of workers (N = 44) completed a self-report questionnaire assessing childhood maltreatment, family background characteristics, current adjustment, coping strategies and burnout. Workers reported high levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and a low to moderate sense of personal accomplishment. Family background characteristics predicted the occurrence of maltreatment and current adjustment, and a personal history of maltreatment predicted current trauma symptoms, but not burnout. Workers most frequently used problem-focused coping strategies and sought social support; however, coping strategies were not associated with the level of either trauma symptoms or burnout. Despite employing positive coping strategies, their efficacy may be affected by other interpersonal, intra-individual and job resource issues. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TL;DR: The authors examined degrees of burnout and the impact of three separate classroom conditions: the number of heterogeneous disability categories, caseload size, and the proportion of students with emotional impairments to the total class composition, among seventy-seven full-time special education teachers, with endorsements to teach students with learning disabilities, assigned to self-contained classrooms at the intermediate-middle school level in Michigan.
Abstract: This study examined degrees of burnout and the impact of three separate classroom conditions: the number of heterogeneous disability categories, caseload size, and the proportion of students with emotional impairments to the total class composition, among seventy-seven full-time special education teachers, with endorsements to teach students with learning disabilities, assigned to self-contained classrooms at the intermediatelmiddle school level in Michigan. This study simultaneously accounted for background and organizational variables reported to influence teacher stress, burnout, and attrition. The Maslach Burnout Inventory Educators Survey (1996), measured degrees of burnout based on Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Personal Accomplishment. The Student Diversity and Organizational Satisfaction Survey identified participant background variables and satisfaction with organizational factors. Results indicated that neither the number of heterogeneous disability categories nor students per case...
TL;DR: Efforts to alleviate burnout among radiation therapists within an organization should have positive effects, including increased quality of patient care, improved quality of work life, higher levels of job satisfaction, and commitment and lower staff turnover.
Abstract: Purpose: As cancer caregivers, radiation therapists experience a variety of stresses that may develop into burnout, which has been demonstrated to impact patient care, employee health, and organizational effectiveness. The purpose of the study was to assess the levels of radiation therapists' burnout at three stages. Additionally, the ability of selected workplace variables to predict each of the three stages of burnout was examined. Methods and Materials: We used descriptive and inferential statistical analyses on reliable and valid instruments, which measured stress, burnout, and social support. Results: Radiation therapists have high levels of the first two stages of burnout: emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Although personal stress, organizational stress, guidance, reassurance of worth, and work load predicted 50% or more of the variance in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, their predictive ability for personal accomplishment was low. Conclusion: Efforts to alleviate burnout among radiation therapists within an organization should have positive effects, including increased quality of patient care, improved quality of work life, higher levels of job satisfaction, and commitment and lower staff turnover.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the relationship between the Five-Factor-Model (FFM) personality dimensions (extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Openness/Autonomy), the Pavlovian temperament variables (Strength of Excitation, Strength of Inhibition, Mobility), and fatigue.
TL;DR: In this paper, various facets of customer satisfaction (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy) were related to a variety of job conditions and aspects of emotional labour, employees' strain reactions, and employees' big five personality variables.
Abstract: In this exploratory study, various facets of customer satisfaction (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy) were related to a variety of job conditions and aspects of emotional labour, employees' strain reactions, and employees' big five personality variables. The study was based on a sample of kindergarten teachers and their customers (i.e., parents who had a child in the kindergarten). A unique feature of the present study was the possibility to individually assign each customer to his or her service employee, rather than using aggregated employee variables as in previous studies. A regression analysis of the five facets of customer satisfaction revealed relations with expected signs for task control (+), participation (+), emotional dissonance (-), job dissatisfaction (-), psychosomatic complaints (-), and extraversion (+). Unexpected relations were found for time control (-), supervisor support (-), colleague support (-), emotional exhaustion (+), and conscientiousness (-). The...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined how burnout is related to marital quality and perceptions of inequity in the relationship and found that higher perceptions of perceived inequity are associated with higher emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and lower feelings of personal accomplishment.
Abstract: In the present study, caregiver burnout among the intimate partners of 106 cancer patients and 88 patients with multiple sclerosis was assessed. This study examined how burnout is related to marital quality and perceptions of inequity in the relationship. LISREL analyses showed that higher perceptions of inequity are strongly associated with higher emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and lower feelings of personal accomplishment. Intimate partners of both cancer patients and patients with multiple sclerosis are relatively likely to experience burnout when they feel that they do not invest or benefit enough in the exchange with their ill partner. The relationship between inequity and burnout held when general marital quality, gender, the duration of the illness, the physical and psychological condition of the ill partner, and support from other persons were controlled for. This study shows that perceptions of equity or balance in the relationship between patients and their intimate partners are important for preventing caregiver burnout and for enhancing positive caregiver experiences.