The role of BDNF and HPA axis in the neurobiology of burnout syndrome

Chronic stress is known to affect the HPA axis. The few clinical studies which have been conducted on HPA-axis function in burnout have produced inconsistent results. The etiological relationship between sBDNF and burnout has not yet been studied. The aim of the current study was to investigate the role of BDNF and HPA axis in the neurobiology of burnout. In the current study 37 clinically diagnosed burnout participants were compared with 35 healthy controls in terms of BDNF, HPA axis, burnout symptoms, depression, anxiety and psychosomatic complaints. Basal serum cortisol, sBDNF and cortisol level after 1 mg DST was sampled. We found no significant differences in terms of HPA-axis function (for basal serum cortisol, p=0.592; for cortisol level after 1 mg DST, p=0.921), but we did find lowered sBDNF levels in burnout group (88.66+/-18.15 pg/ml) as compared to healthy controls (102.18+/-20.92 pg/ml) and the difference was statistically significant (p=0.005). Logistic Regression Analysis revealed that emotional exhaustion (p=0.05), depersonalization (p=0.005) and depression (p=0.025) were significantly associated with burnout. sBDNF levels correlated negatively with emotional exhaustion (r=-,268, p=0.026), depersonalization (r=-,333, p=0.005) and correlated positively with competence (r=0.293, p=0.015) sub-scales of burnout inventory. However, there were no significant relationships between cortisol levels and sBDNF levels (r=0.80, p=0.51), depression, anxiety, psychosomatic complaints and burnout inventory. Our results suggest that low BDNF might contribute to the neurobiology of burnout syndrome and it seems to be associated with burnout symptoms including altered mood and cognitive functions.     

Comparison of mindfulness interventions for healthcare professionals: A mixed-methods study

ObjectivesBurnout is increasingly a concerning problem in US Healthcare systems. Although the causes of burnout are not predominantly due to individual factors, mindfulness instruction is an evidence-based approach to counteracting burnout. Our health system initiated a multi-pronged approach to mindfulness instruction for our employees and community. We aimed to assess the impact of these varied programs.MethodsSeveral mindfulness courses of different lengths were employed. Validated survey instruments were administered to participants before and after the courses to assess stress, mindfulness and burnout. Pre-course and post-course results were compared for each intervention. Free-text responses were also captured and analyzed in a qualitative fashion.ResultsParticipants in MBIs demonstrated statistically significant improvement in burnout and perceived stress on post-course survey results. Several mindfulness domains also showed statistically significant improvement (awareness, non-react and observe). There was no difference in the observed results between the mindfulness interventions. Qualitative analysis yielded three themes: seeking help, symptoms, and changes in mindfulness practice.ConclusionsMBIs designed for employees of an academic medical center were associated with positive quantitative and qualitative results. All MBI participants achieved improvement in perceived stress and mindfulness as well as reduction in burnout, regardless of course length.     

Style attributionnel et burn-out au travail : une analyse en cluster

In the domain of the workplace, burnout appears as an important consequence of stressful events experienced by an individual. But how to define it, and what reality does this concept represent? The benefits of optimism, and particularly of an optimistic explanatory style, have also been demonstrated on a set of other variables such as health, performance and resilience. If an optimistic explanatory style is an important variable, what are the relationships that can be observed with burnout? The purpose of this study is to explore the links that exist between explanatory styles and burnout assuming that there are different types of profiles according to the styles of the individuals, whether they are actually optimistic or pessimistic, or neither one nor the other. Through a cluster analysis, the results of this study revealed: 1) the existence of three different profiles of explanatory styles, ranging from optimistic to pessimistic; and 2) it was indeed possible to associate levels of burnout with the profiles of these styles.     

Music therapists’ job satisfaction,collective self-esteem,and burnout

General references show that the type of professional identity known as collective self-esteem could be an important factor in professionals’ job satisfaction and burnout. However, little attention has been paid to identifying the interactions of these three variables in music therapy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between music therapists’ job satisfaction, collective self-esteem, and burnout. Specifically, this paper emphasizes the role of collective self-esteem as a mediator between music therapists’ job satisfaction and burnout. Ninety professional music therapists in Korea participated in this study. The Korean Music Therapists’ Job Satisfaction Scale, the Collective Self-Esteem Scale, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory were used to measure music therapists’ job satisfaction, collective self-esteem, and burnout, respectively.