Occupational burnout among workers in the long-term care sector in relation to their personality traits

ObjectivesThis paper investigates the sense of occupational burnout among people working with older persons in the long-term care sector in relation to their personality traits. The study objective is to examine the correlation between the sense of burnout and personality traits of persons working in the helping professions, the so-called human services. According to researchers, these professionals are susceptible to occupational burnout due to the involvement of their personal emotions in the helping process.Material and MethodsThe study encompassed 238 workers employed at care institutions for older people. The authors used a diagnostic survey as the research method, and the following research instruments: the Maslach Burnout Inventory by C. Maslach (to assess an individual’s sense of burnout) and the NEO Five-Factor Inventory by P.T. Costa and R.R. McCrae (to assess personality traits).ResultsThe survey indicates that workers are at risk of occupational burnout, and statistically significant differences have been observed in their sense of burnout depending on their personality traits in all the inventories analyzed: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment.ConclusionsSince the survey results confirm the differences in the sense of occupational burnout among the respondents with different personality traits, measures should be taken for the prevention and early detection of burnout in workers. For the intervention methods to be effective, workers’ personality traits should be taken into account.