Staff burnout in a psychiatric hospital: a cross-lagged panel design: Summary

Previous research has shown that burnout in staff members at psychiatric hospitals is significantly associated with state anxiety and collegial support. The directionality of these relationships may be inferred using a cross-lagged panel design. To do this, 35 staff members representing various clinical disciplines completed measures of burnout, support, and anxiety twice, eight months apart. Burnout comprised three factors: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Findings from one cross-lagged panel suggested that emotional exhaustion causes state anxiety. The second panel showed that lack of collegial support caused depersonalization. Understanding causes and effects of burnout for inpatient psychiatric staff may lead to training and resource development that will improve the quality of their work environment.