Burnout and its Relationship to Psychological Distress and Job Satisfaction Among Academician and Non-Academician in Malaysia

Abstract

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of burnout and its associated risk factors among the University staff involving both academician and non-academician and relate these to their job satisfaction.MethodsA cross sectional study was conducted among the Universiti Teknologi MARA (UITM) staff involving both academician and non-academician. The participants were emailed the questionnaires through their university email and alternative email addresses. They were asked to complete questionnaires on their sociodemographic and work details, Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS).ResultsAmong the 411 participants who participated, 53% were academicians (n= 216). Academician demonstrated greater burnout levels and psychological distress when compared to non-academician. Correlational analyses indicated moderate to high correlation between psychological distress and burnout due to work, personal and client where higher burnout was associated with higher psychological distress. Non-academician demonstrated greater job satisfaction levels when compared to academician. Correlational analyses indicated high correlation between job satisfaction and burnout due to work, with higher burnout levels associated with lower job satisfaction among staff. Conclusion This study showed that academicians suffers from high levels of burnout in aspects of personal, work and client related matters and this has contributed to higher psychological distress among them and greatly affect their job satisfaction.