Burnout, vigor and job satisfaction among academic staff

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the degree of burnout and vigor experienced in an academic environment and the relationship of these factors to job satisfaction, depression, anxiety and stress. The Shirom-Melamed burnout and vigor measure, the Minnesota job satisfaction scale and Lovibond's depression-anxiety and stress scales were used. Printed questionnaires were sent to the entire academic staff of a single academic institution and were filled out anonymously. The response rate was 22%. Females, research fellows and residents showed higher burnout and lower job satisfaction and vigor scores. The highest scores for burnout were those of the academicians in the health sciences department. Our structural equation model showed that emotional exhaustion is the main component of burnout, that vigor and job satisfaction are negatively affected by burnout and that depression, as the main outcome of burnout, plays a mediating role for anxiety and stress.