The mechanism of typical burnout from diversified perspectives

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K13271
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 10010:Social psychology-related
• Research Institution: Tohoku Gakuin University (2022); Oita University (2018-2021)
• Principal Investigator: Igawa Junichi 東北学院大学, 教養学部, 准教授 (90748401)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 典型的バーンアウト / 実験室実験 / パネル調査 / 情熱

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of typical burnout caused by enthusiasm for work among human service professions. The research employed a combination of experiments, interviews, and panel surveys to examine the phenomenon. The results from the experiments involving students demonstrated that exhaustion and stress accumulation resulting from enthusiasm was evident when support was unsuccessful. However, these patterns were not observed among human service professionals.
The findings from the interview surveys indicated that only a tiny percentage of the participants experienced typical burnout. In contrast, the panel survey revealed a general decrease in the enthusiasm level of the subjects. These findings suggest that human service professionals manage emotional exhaustion by regulating their enthusiasm intensity.
Overall, the study concludes that typical burnout is a unique condition that is not experienced by all individuals in human service professions.

Free Research Field

社会心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

「仕事への情熱」というポジティブな特性が逆にメンタルヘルスに悪影響を及ぼす典型的バーンアウトに着目した本研究では, 実験、調査、インタビュー等の多角的アプローチによってその独特のプロセス (ストレスイベントへの意識的接近など) で生じることを明らかにすることができた。典型的バーンアウトに至る人々は, もともと仕事に対するエネルギーに溢れた貴重な人材であり, その人材に介入することで、周囲のモチベーションや職場風土等にもポジティブな影響をもたらすことができる。今後, 本研究で作成した典型的バーンアウト尺度を活用し、それらの人々に効果的な介入方法を明らかとするために継続研究を行う予定である。