Relationship between job burnout and somatic diseases
relation between high blood pressure and job burnout
Roland von Känel, Mary Princip, Sarah A. Holzgang, Walther J. Fuchs, Marc van Nuffel, Aju P. Pazhenkottil & Tobias R. Spiller, »Relationship between job burnout and somatic diseases: a network analysis«, in: Scientific Reports, 2020, 10, 18438, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-75611-7
Abstract
Job burnout, characterized by feelings of exhaustion, cynicism and reduced personal efficacy, has been defined as a risk state for the development of diseases, but its association with somatic diseases is underexplored. Study participants were 5671 respondents (mean age 44.1 years, range 18–70; 38.6% men) to an online survey of job burnout, using a mobile health web application. Respondents provided data on sociodemographic characteristics, symptoms of burnout, measured with the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey, depressive symptoms, measured with the Profile of Mood States, and 11 categories of somatic diseases. Adjusting for age, sex, educational level, depressive symptoms, and all disease categories included, network analysis showed a significant association of high exhaustion with “high blood pressure” and a category of “other chronic somatic diseases”. Low personal efficacy showed a significant association with “chronic lung diseases”. In network analysis, clinically relevant depressive symptoms were also significantly associated with “high blood pressure”, “other chronic somatic diseases” and “skin diseases”. Logistic regression analysis confirmed these associations. Burnout dimensions were significantly associated with an increased risk for somatic diseases, independently of sociodemographic factors and clinically relevant depressive symptoms. This relationship seems particularly evident for the exhaustion dimension of job burnout.
Roland von Känel, Mary Princip, Sarah A. Holzgang, Walther J. Fuchs, Marc van Nuffel, Aju P. Pazhenkottil & Tobias R. Spiller, »Relationship between job burnout and somatic diseases: a network analysis«, in: Scientific Reports, 2020, 10, 18438, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-75611-7
Zusammenfassung
Nach der gängigen Lehrmeinung ist Burnout keine Krankheit, aber sehr wohl eine Risikozustand dafür, dass betroffene Arbeitnehmende eine psychische oder körperliche Krankheit entwickeln können. In unserer Studie mit 5671 Teilnehmenden fanden wir einen Zusammenhang zwischen Burnout und einem erhöhten Blutdruck, Lungenkrankheiten und weiteren somatischen Krankheiten. Diese Zusammenhänge waren unabhängig vom Alter, Geschlecht, Bildungsstand und depressiver Symptome der Teilnehmenden.