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Burnout syndrome - friend or foe?

The burnout syndrome is defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as an occupational phenomenon. It is characterised by 3 stages - Alarm, Resistance and Exhaustion. Although logically they might appear to follow one another, often more than one stage is active at a given moment and it is possible to have reached the stage of Resistance or Exhaustion while the levels of Alarm are still high due to experiencing new stressors or traumatic events.

According to B. B. Boyko the burnout syndrome is a personality mechanism of psychological defence that turns off the emotional response to external events and stressors. It helps save energy but leads to emotional inadequacy and influences relationships in a negative way. In addition, the most recent research looks at the burnout syndrome as a stressor on its own - experiencing burnout symptoms in addition to keeping commitments and daily responsibilities.

The current research summarises the results of 75 professionals - men and women - in Bulgaria using the test on burnout by B. B. Boyko which investigates all three stages of the syndrome using 3 scales, and each scale is determined by 4 factors. 

The results show that the Alarm stage is less prominent compared to the stages of Resistance and Exhaustion. It is formed among 40% of the participants and it is in the process of formation among 20% of them. The third phase of the syndrome is completely formed in 50% of the participants and among 22.6% of them it is in the process of formation. The data shows that the second phase - the Resistance stage is the most prominent one among the professionals from the sample - it is active among 90% of them. 65.3% of the participants show signs that the stage is completely formed and 22.6% of them show that it is in the process of formation.

Traumatic experiences, anxiety and depression are among the leading causes for the formation of the first stage of the burnout syndrome. Traumatic experiences are mostly related to having conflicting relationships  at the workplace as well as experiencing work overload - psychological and physical, while the symptoms of anxiety are expressed in preoccupation with job security and worries about productivity and quality of work. The feelings of sullenness and dissatisfaction play a lesser role in the formation of this stage of the syndrome.

The most prominent characteristic of the Resistance stage is keeping emotions to oneself, inability to process experiences at work, carrying negative emotions home, avoiding contact with family and friends. In addition, more than half of the participants are willing to skip responsibilities in order to deal with high levels of stress. They often pay less attention to their partner, feel less motivated to go to work and allow their current emotional state to influence professional communication. Personal preferences determine behaviour and this poses a risk for conflict escalatation.

The third stage of the burnout syndrome - Exhaustion, is best represented by the phenomenon of depersonalization - experiencing negative beliefs about others, feeling unappreciated, showing avoidance. The results suggest low emotional intelligence among the sample, for instance, lack of self-control over experiencing and expressing negative feelings as well as underdeveloped skills for restoring emotional balance. Sometimes the participants admit to chronic psychosomatic symptoms like high blood pressure, headache, lack of self-confidence, and taking medication.

Considering the high results on the test, it is important to note that professionals in Bulgaria are capable of keeping their productivity and effectiveness optimal as long as possible in the face of adversities. The research suggests that the positive attitude toward the job and the working process are preserved as well. A good sign is that the participants ability to experience emotions is intact even though feelings sometimes are consciously repressed or inadequate in a given situation. There is evidence that often stressors are overwhelming and lead to avoiding shared experiences with loved ones, thus missing out on opportunities to restore emotional balance. Nevertheless, the results also show personal maturity, good coping skills, awareness of future goals and motivation to achieve them.

Based on the results of this research and our clinical work, our team recommends the use of good practices like screening, prevention, and timely psychotherapy in order to limit the consequences of the burnout syndrome for employees and companies.

Author: Sofiya Dimitrova, Ph.D.