TY - JOUR
T1 - Chronic burnout, somatic arousal and elevated salivary cortisol levels
AU - Melamed, Samuel
AU - Ugarten, Ursula
AU - Shirom, Arie
AU - Kahana, Luna
AU - Lerman, Yehuda
AU - Froom, Paul
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by the Committee for Preventive Action and Research in Occupational Health, The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Jerusalem, Israel.
PY - 1999/6
Y1 - 1999/6
N2 - Burnout syndrome, comprised of the symptoms of emotional exhaustion, physical fatigue, and cognitive weariness, is believed to be a result of ineffective coping with enduring stress. This study of 111 nonshift blue- collar workers free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) examined whether chronic burnout is associated with a state of somatic and physiological hyperarousal. Results showed that 37 workers exhibited symptoms of chronic burnout, with symptoms lasting at least 6 months. These workers, compared to those with no burnout symptoms (n = 52) or nonchronic burnout symptoms (n = 22), had higher levels of tension at work, postwork irritability, more sleep disturbances and complaints of waking up exhausted, and higher cortisol levels during the work day. These results suggest that chronic burnout is associated with heightened somatic arousal and elevated salivary cortisol levels. This may be part of the mechanism underlying the emerging association between burnout and risk of CVD.
AB - Burnout syndrome, comprised of the symptoms of emotional exhaustion, physical fatigue, and cognitive weariness, is believed to be a result of ineffective coping with enduring stress. This study of 111 nonshift blue- collar workers free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) examined whether chronic burnout is associated with a state of somatic and physiological hyperarousal. Results showed that 37 workers exhibited symptoms of chronic burnout, with symptoms lasting at least 6 months. These workers, compared to those with no burnout symptoms (n = 52) or nonchronic burnout symptoms (n = 22), had higher levels of tension at work, postwork irritability, more sleep disturbances and complaints of waking up exhausted, and higher cortisol levels during the work day. These results suggest that chronic burnout is associated with heightened somatic arousal and elevated salivary cortisol levels. This may be part of the mechanism underlying the emerging association between burnout and risk of CVD.
KW - Burnout
KW - Chronic
KW - Cortisol
KW - Exhaustion
KW - Sleep disturbances
KW - Stress
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/0033150557
U2 - 10.1016/S0022-3999(99)00007-0
DO - 10.1016/S0022-3999(99)00007-0
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AN - SCOPUS:0033150557
SN - 0022-3999
VL - 46
SP - 591
EP - 598
JO - Journal of Psychosomatic Research
JF - Journal of Psychosomatic Research
IS - 6
ER -
