Burnout as a Mediator in the Relationship between Work-Life Balance and Empathy in Healthcare Professionals
Hwo-Yeon Seo, Dong‐Wook Lee, Soo‐Hyun Nam, Sung-jun Cho, Je-Yeon Yoon, Yun‐Chul Hong, Nami Lee
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study aimed to 1) explore the relationships among work-life balance (WLB), burnout, and empathy and 2) investigate the roles of the subtypes of burnout relating to WLB and empathy. METHODS: A total of 105 health care professionals from a general hospital in Seoul were assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy, and a one-sentence-question on subjective WLB. Multiple questions on psychiatric problems, including sleep problems, anxiety, depressive symptom, and alcohol problems, were also included. RESULTS: In the mediation analyses, personal achievement was considered as a potential mediating variable between WLB and empathy. The direct effect (β=3.93, 95% CI: 1.21-6.64) and the indirect effect (β=1.95, 95% CI: 0.52-3.76) of WLB on empathy were also significant. CONCLUSION: Interventions encouraging personal achievement may help mitigate burnout of health professionals.