2015/10/09 by Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi · 2 citations
Health Professions · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout #Stress and Burnout Research #Workplace Violence and Bullying
paper · doi:10.1002/jclp.22229
openalex publication_date 2015/10/09 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the overlap in burnout and depression. METHOD: The sample comprised 1,386 schoolteachers (mean [M]age = 43; Myears taught = 15; 77% women) from 18 different U.S. states. We assessed burnout, using the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure, and depression, using the depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire. RESULTS: Treated dimensionally, burnout and depressive symptoms were strongly correlated (.77; disattenuated correlation, .84). Burnout and depressive symptoms were similarly correlated with each of 3 stress-related factors, stressful life events, job adversity, and workplace support. In categorical analyses, 86% of the teachers identified as burned out met criteria for a provisional diagnosis of depression. Exploratory analyses revealed a link between burnout and anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that past research has underestimated burnout-depression overlap. The state of burnout is likely to be a form of depression. Given the magnitude of burnout-depression overlap, treatments for depression may help workers identified as "burned out."