Burned out cognition--cognitive functioning of burnout patients before and after a period with psychological treatment.
OBJECTIVE
Many employees with burnout report cognitive difficulties. However, the relation between burnout         and cognitive functioning has hardly been empirically validated. Moreover, it is unknown whether the putative cognitive         deficits in burnout are temporary or permanent. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to answer two related         questions: (i) Is burnout associated with self-reported cognitive difficulties and with deficits in a specific and         well-defined set of executive functions? (ii) Do these putative self-reported cognitive difficulties and deficits in         executive functioning in burnout diminish after a 10-week period of cognitive behavioral therapy?


METHODS
Sixteen         employees with burnout were compared with sixteen matched healthy employees on self-reported cognitive difficulties and         tests measuring the basic executive functions, namely, updating, inhibition, and switching, on two test occasions. The         interval between the test occasions was ten weeks, during which the burnout individuals received cognitive behavioral         therapy.


RESULTS
On the first test occasion, and relative to healthy individuals, individuals with burnout reported         more cognitive difficulties and showed deficits in the "updating" function. No group differences were found         regarding the "inhibition" and "switching" functions, although individuals with burnout         generally responded slower than healthy individuals on the latter test. Even though after the ten-week treatment period         individuals with burnout revealed positive changes regarding burnout symptoms, general health, and self-reported         cognitive difficulties, no evidence was found for improved cognitive test performance.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings         suggest that either (i) burnout leads to permanent cognitive deficits, (ii) subjective burnout complaints reduce faster         than deficits in cognitive test performance, or (iii) cognitive deficits are a cause rather than a consequence of         burnout.
Department of Work and Organizational Psychology, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, the Netherlands. b.oosterholt@psych.ru.nl
Bart G
BG
Oosterholt
Dimitri
D
Van der Linden
Joseph H R
JH
Maes
Marc J P M
MJ
Verbraak
Michiel A J
MA
Kompier
D000328:Adult; D002055:Burnout, Professional; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*