Relationship between job burnout and work performance in a sample of Iranian mental health staff.

OBJECTIVE: Job and workplace characteristics, particularly among mental health workers, have been identified as "stressors". In this study, the objective was to assess the relationship between work performance and job burnout amongst staff at a psychiatric hospital.

METHOD: The respondents comprised 100 mental health professionals from Raazy Psychiatric Center, Tehran, Iran; including nurses, co-nurses, psychologists, social workers, and occupational therapists. Instruments used were the Job Burnout Inventory, standardized for an Iranian population; and a 10-item questionnaire about job performance.

RESULTS: The study showed that 45.6% of the sample had job burnout at a high level; 42.5% of subjects had emotional exhaustion at a high level and 65.5% had experienced depersonalization at a high level; however, only 21% experienced feelings of failure in individual achievement at a high level. There was a significant correlation between job burnout and inability for job performance.

CONCLUSION: The findings are of concern and show the need to take cognizance of the existence of job burnout amongst mental health professionals and to consider strategies for dealing with the problem.