title: Shifting of attentional set is inadequate in severe burnout: Evidence from an event-related potential study.
abstract: Individuals with prolonged occupational stress often report difficulties in concentration. Work tasks often require the ability to switch back and forth between different contexts. Here, we studied the association between job burnout and task switching by recording event-related potentials (ERPs) time-locked to stimulus onset during a task with simultaneous cue-target presentation and unpredictable switches in the task. Participants were currently working people with severe, mild, or no burnout symptoms. In all groups, task performance was substantially slower immediately after task switch than during task repetition. However, the error rates were higher in the severe burnout group than in the mild burnout and control groups. Electrophysiological data revealed an increased parietal P3 response for the switch trials relative to repetition trials. Notably, the response was smaller in amplitude in the severe burnout group than in the other groups. The results suggest that severe burnout is associated with inadequate processing when rapid shifting of attention between tasks is required resulting in less accurate performance.
authors.affiliation: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, P.O. Box 40, 00251 Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: laura.sokka@ttl.fi.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sokka
authors.affiliation: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, P.O. Box 40, 00251 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leinikka
authors.affiliation: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, P.O. Box 40, 00251 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Jussi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Korpela
authors.affiliation: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, P.O. Box 40, 00251 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Henelius
authors.affiliation: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, P.O. Box 40, 00251 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Jani
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lukander
authors.affiliation: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, P.O. Box 40, 00251 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Satu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pakarinen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Siltavuorenpenger 1-5, P.O. Box 9, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Kimmo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Alho
authors.affiliation: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, P.O. Box 40, 00251 Helsinki, Finland; CICERO Learning Network, Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Siltavuorenpenger 1-5, P.O. Box 9, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Minna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huotilainen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Attention; Event-related potentials (ERP); Job burnout; Task switching; Work fatigue