Elsevier

The Lancet

Volume 359, Issue 9323, 15 June 2002, Pages 2089-2090
The Lancet

Research Letters
The causal links between stress and burnout in a longitudinal study of UK doctors

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(02)08915-8Get rights and content

Summary

Burnout and stress are common, linked problems in health-care workers. We aimed to clarify their causal associations. We assessed stress and the three components of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and low personal accomplishment) using structural equation modelling in a 3-year longitudinal study of a representative sample of 331 UK doctors. Emotional exhaustion and stress showed reciprocal causation: high levels of emotional exhaustion caused stress (β=0·189), and high levels of stress caused emotional exhaustion (β=0·175). High levels of personal accomplishment increased stress levels (β=0·080), whereas depersonalisation lowered stress levels (β=−0·105).

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