Abstract
Background Job satisfaction is a critical concern among medical staff and directly affects patient safety and quality of health care services. Burnout has been reported to be correlated with job satisfaction.
Aims This study aimed to determine the prevalence of burnout and level of job satisfaction among psychiatrists working in the Mental Health Service, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar, and examine correlations among socio-demographic variables, burnout, and job satisfaction.
Method A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and the Job Descriptive Index (JDI).
Results One-third of psychiatrists reported high levels of emotional exhaustion, with a similar proportion describing low levels of personal accomplishment. Less than 20 % demonstrated high levels of depersonalization. Trainees were more burned out than senior psychiatrists. Opportunities for promotion was the only factor with which the majority of psychiatrists were not satisfied.
Conclusions The prevalence of high burnout in psychiatrists remains lower in Qatar than in other countries. Lower levels of satisfaction with co-workers, work, supervision, opportunities for promotion, and the job in general increased emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Interestingly, satisfaction with salary did not have a significant effect on burnout.
1. Introduction
1.1. Burnout
Burnout became increasingly recognized in the 1970s to describe a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and chronic stress. According to Lee and Ashforth (1996), burnout is a syndrome of emotional exhaustion (tiredness; fewer emotional resources), depersonalization (development of negative, cynical attitudes; impersonal treatment of clients), and feelings of a lack of personal accomplishment (thoughts of incompetence and inadequacy). Burnout is highly prevalent among health care providers (Morse et al., 2012); up to 67 % of mental health care providers are estimated to experience high levels of burnout.
