title: Self-image and burnout in psychiatric staff.
abstract: Burnout was tested for in 754 mental health workers and related to self-image as assessed with Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB, Benjamin 1974). A positive relation was found between burnout and negative self-image, and between the experience of personal accomplishment and positive self-image. Compared to self-image, gender, age and work setting did not explain any variance in burnout. Highly burned-out persons had a significantly more negative self-image than staff who had rated themselves as low burnout. Finally, the relation between self-image and burnout was studied in 210 subjects who had completed their self-image ratings one year before burnout was measured, with the same results: a negative self-image was related to higher burnout one year later. One general conclusion is that a tendency in staff to treat themselves in negative ways may function as a negative filter for coping with difficulties at work and thus be a risk factor for burnout.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Psychology, Umeå University, S-901 87 Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jeanneau
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Armelius
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services; D008875:Middle Aged; D012649:Self Concept; D006113:United Kingdom; D000078329:Workforce