Influence of age and length of service on the level of stress and burnout syndrome

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The burnout syndrome is a response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors which are related to workplace. Medicine is one of the professions at the greatest risk of suffering from burnout syndrome. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of stress and burnout syndrome in relation with age and length of service in the family medicine physicians in the Republic of Srpska. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was carried out on the basis of a questionnaire survey among family medicine physicians in seven Primary Health Care Centres in the Republic of Srpska from February 1st to April 30th 2010. The participants fulfilled the questionnaire for self-assessment of stress level and the Maslach Burnout Inventory, which were amended with data regarding age, sex, length of service and educational and vocational level. RESULTS: The study included 199 (83.3%) female and 40 (16.7%) male participants. The physicians aged over 46 years and with the length of service over 21 years had statistically significant higher level of stress and emotional exhaustion than younger participants and participants with shorter length of service. CONCLUSION: Age and length of service have important influence on the level of stress and burnout syndrome: the older the physicians and the higher the length of service the higher the level of stress and the higher the risk of burnout syndrome.