Relationship between Burnout Syndrome and Personality Characteristics in Emergency Ambulance Crew

Abstract

Being an ambulance doctor is a profession characterized by high psychological and emotional loads. The aim of the present work was to determine the probability of developing professional burnout in ambulance doctors and to identify the relationship between its occurrence and the doctors’ personality characteristics. Materials and methods. The MBI-GS questionnaire and the Freiburg personality inventory (FPI) were used in 97 ambulance doctors – 57 women and 40 men. Mean age was 37.0 ± 12.21 years. Relationships between variables were identifi ed by correlation and regression analysis. Results and conclusions. The risk of developing professional burnout was detected in nine respondents (11.5%). Individual symptoms of burnout were seen in 28 doctors (35.9%). The risk of emotional burnout was not diagnosed in the ≥45 age group. These results led to the conclusion that ambulance staff in general are characterized by stable personality features but nonetheless we emphasize the need to detect the symptoms of professional burnout to prevent it and develop programs for measures increasing personal stress resistance among workers.