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Table 2 Methodologically adequate studies on the association between psychosocial workload and emotional exhaustion/burnout

From: The role of psychosocial working conditions on burnout and its core component emotional exhaustion – a systematic review

First author, publication year

Study region

Study design

Population

Exposure

Outcome

Results

Branch/Occupation; no. of companies

No. of subjects (response rate, mean age)

Time of baseline examination

Follow up (mean, range)

Ahola & Hakanen 2007 [45]

Finland

Follow-up study

Finnish dentists (members of Finnish Dental Association)

2,555 Finnish dentists (71% response of all Finnish dentists)

2003

2006 (3 years), loss to follow-up 22%

Job strain (Job Content Questionnaire - JCQ)

Burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory - MBI)

Subjects free of burnout at baseline, adjusted for depression at baseline:

Men

job strain: OR=22.3 (95% CI 5.1-98.1)

Women

Job strain: OR=4.0 (95% CI 2.0-8.0)

Subjects free of burnout but with depressive symptoms at baseline:

Job strain: OR=2.2 (95% CI: 1.4-3.4)

Subjects free of depression (measured by Beck Depression Inventory - BDI) at baseline, adjusted for baseline burnout:

Job strain: OR=1.8 (95% CI: 1.04-3.1)

Janssen and Nijhuis 2004 [46]

Netherlands

Follow-up study

45 companies

5,256 employees (response rate 45%, mean age 42.3±8.5 years)

1998

1 year, loss to follow-up 20%

(1) Psychological demands (JCQ, Dutch version)

Burnout-subscale emotional exhaustion of MBI-GS (General Survey)

Reduced emotional exhaustion:

(1) Decreased job demands: β=-0.16, p<0.001

(2) Decision latitude (JCQ, Dutch version)

(2) Increased decision latitude: β=0.07, p<0.001

(3) Social support (JCQ, Dutch version)

(3) Increased social support: β=-0.07, p<0.001

Langballe et al. 2011 [47]

Norway

Follow-up study

physicians

n=291 female physicians (response rate 74%, mean age 41.8±9.9 years), n=232 male physicians (response rate 64%, mean age 48.1±10.9 years)

2005

2 years, loss to follow-up 21% (women) and 26% (men)

(1) Perceived workload (3-item scale, based on the Job Stress Questionnaire - JSQ)

Burnout-subscale exhaustion of Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI, Norwegian version)

Women

(1) High workload (follow up): β=0.17, p<0.01

(2) autonomy (4-item scale, based on the Job Stress Questionnaire - JSQ)

(2) High autonomy (follow up): β=0.07, n. s.

(3) no. of hours worked per week

(3) Working hours (baseline): β=0.01, n. s.

Men

(1) High workload (follow up): β=0.31, p<0.01

(2) High autonomy (follow up): β=0.22, p<0.001

(3) Working hours (baseline): β=0.03, n. s.

Lorente Prieto et al. 2008 [48]

Spain

Follow-up study

23 secondary schools

N=274 teachers (response rate 81%, mean age 40±7.0 years, 43% men)

n.r.

8 months, loss to follow-up 43%

(1) quantitative overload (3-item scale, instrument n. r.)

burnout-subscale emotional exhaustion of MBI-GS

(1) Quantitative overload (baseline): β=0.12, p<0.05

(2) mental demands (6-item scale, instrument n. r.)

Results for exposure no. (2)-(7) n. r., n. s.

(3) emotional demands (7-item scale, instrument n. r.)

Women feel more exhaustion (β=0.11, p<0.05) at follow-up than men

(4) role ambiguity (6-item scale, instrument n. r.)

(5) role conflict (8-item scale, instrument n.r.)

(6) autonomy (5-item scale, instrument n. r.)

(7) social climate (3-item climate scale of the FOCUS questionnaire [49]

Taris et al. 2010 [50]

Nether-lands

Follow-up study

Dutch police officers

828 police officers, mean age 42.1±7.8 years, 85% men, response rate for baseline examination 53%

n.r.

1 year, loss to follow-up 57%

(1) job demands (4-items of the JCQ)

burnout-subscale emotional exhaustion of MBI-GS (Dutch version)

(1) High demands: β=0.08, p<0.01

(2) Job control: n. s.

(2) job control (9-item scale: 1 item from JCQ, 3 items from Dutch Stress Questionnaire, 5 items from the NOVA-WEBA questionnaire [51]

Van Vegchel et al. 2004 [52]

Sweden

Follow-up study

Human services

2,255 human service employees, mean age 47.0±6.5 years, 41% men, response rate 76%

1997

1 year, loss to follow-up 29%

(1) Quantitative demands (4-item scale based on the JCQ)

Burnout-subscale emotional exhaustion of MBI (Swedish version)

Model 1:

(1) High quantitative demands: β=0.12, p<0.01

(2) Emotional demands (8-item scale)

(3) Low job control: β=-0.10, p<0.05

(4) Low social support: β=-0.07, p<0.05

(3) Job control (8-item scale, instrument n. r.)

Model 2:

(4) Social support (7-item scale, instrument n. r.)

(2) High emotional demands: β=0.09, p<0.001

(3) Low job control: β=-0.10, p<0.05

(4) Low social support: β=-0.08, p<0.05

  1. Abbreviations: n. s. not significant, n. r. not reported, JCQ Job Content Questionnaire; MBI Maslach Burnout Inventory, MBI-GS Maslach Burnout Inventory – General Survey.