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. 2023 Apr 5;18(4):e0283556.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283556. eCollection 2023.

Association between burnout and stigma in physicians

S Favre  1 , N M Bajwa  2 , M Dominicé Dao  3 , M-C Audétat Voirol  4 , M Nendaz  5 , N Junod Perron  6   7 , T Perneger  8 , H Richard-Lepouriel  1   9
Affiliations

Association between burnout and stigma in physicians

S Favre et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Physicians suffering from burnout are more likely to develop depression, substance dependence, and cardiovascular diseases, which can affect their practices. Stigmatization is a barrier to seeking treatment. This study aimed to understand the complex links between burnout among medical doctors and the perceived stigma.

Methods and findings: Online questionnaires were sent to medical doctors working in five different departments of the Geneva University Hospital. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was used to assess burnout. The Stigma of Occupational Stress Scale in Doctors (SOSS-D) was used to measure the three stigma dimensions. Three hundred and eight physicians participated in the survey (response rate: 34%). Physicians with burnout (47%) were more likely to hold stigmatized views. Emotional exhaustion was moderately correlated with perceived structural stigma (r = 0.37, P < .001) and weakly correlated with perceived stigma (r = 0.25, P = 0.011). Depersonalization was weakly correlated with personal stigma (r = 0.23, P = 0.04) and perceived other stigma (r = 0.25, P = 0.018).

Conclusion: These results suggest the need to adjust for existing burnout and stigma management. Further research needs to be conducted on how high burnout and stigmatization impact collective burnout, stigmatization, and treatment delay.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Comparison of stigma by burnout.
PS: Personal stigma, POS: Perceived other stigma, and PSS: Perceived structural stigma.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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