Evaluation of the Relationship Between Burnout and Psychological Symptoms Among Staff Working with Individuals with Disabilities and Elderly

Abstract

Burnout syndrome can adversely affect individuals who work in professions that are in close contact with people, and this can contribute to deterioration in their mental health. The purpose of this research was to investigate the association between burnout levels and the psychological symptoms of disabled and elderly workers in the centers of disability and rehabilitation in Erzurum, Turkey. A total of 200 participants, 83 women, and 40 men participated in the study. Maslach Burnout Scale and Brief Symptom Inventory were administered to participants. The findings of the study indicated that the staffs level of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization was moderate and the level of personal accomplishment was high. Obsessive-compulsive disorder, paranoid thought, and somatization were found to be among the most common psychological symptoms among the participants. The current study also has shown that as the emotional exhaustion and depersonalization levels of the staff increased, so did their psychological symptoms, and as their personal achievement levels increased, their psychological symptoms decreased. Burnout appears to implicate mental health status of personnel working with individuals with disabilities and the elderly in care institutions.