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. 2020 Jul 11;17(14):5001.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17145001.

Burnout Syndrome and Work-Related Stress in Physical and Occupational Therapists Working in Different Types of Hospitals: Which Group Is the Most Vulnerable?

Ju-Hyun Kim  1 , Ae-Ryoung Kim  1 , Myung-Gwan Kim  2 , Chul-Hyun Kim  1   3 , Ki-Hoon Lee  4 , Donghwi Park  5 , Jong-Moon Hwang  1
Affiliations

Burnout Syndrome and Work-Related Stress in Physical and Occupational Therapists Working in Different Types of Hospitals: Which Group Is the Most Vulnerable?

Ju-Hyun Kim et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Because of the nature of their work, physical and occupational therapists are at high risk of burnout, which is associated with decreased job satisfaction, medical errors, and mental wellbeing in healthcare professionals. To well manage and minimize potential impact of burnout, risk factors should be determined. This study examined burnout and job stress in physical and occupational therapists in various Korean hospital settings. Physical and occupational therapists from several rehabilitation facilities in South Korea completed a survey between March-May 2019. A set of questionnaires, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Job Content Questionnaire, were distributed to all participants. In total, 325 professionals (131 men and 194 women) were recruited. Burnout and work-related stress differed significantly according to several factors. Hospital size, gender, and age were the main contributory factors affecting at least two dimensions of the questionnaires. The more vulnerable group consisted of female therapists in their 20s at small- or medium-sized hospitals with low scores for quality of life. High levels of job stress and burnout were observed in female therapists in their 20s at small- or medium-sized hospitals. Hospitals and society should create suitable environments and understand the nature of therapists' work to improve healthcare.

Keywords: age; burnout syndrome; gender; hospital size; occupational therapist; physical therapist; vulnerable group.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Comparison of Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) scores between vulnerable group and overall participants. *—p < 0.05.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of Short Form 36 (SF-36) subscale and summary scores between vulnerable group and overall participants. *—p < 0.05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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