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. 2018 Sep;35(9):844-850.
doi: 10.1002/da.22766. Epub 2018 May 2.

Associations between therapists' occupational burnout and their patients' depression and anxiety treatment outcomes

Jaime Delgadillo  1   2 , David Saxon  2 , Michael Barkham  1   2
Affiliations

Associations between therapists' occupational burnout and their patients' depression and anxiety treatment outcomes

Jaime Delgadillo et al. Depress Anxiety. 2018 Sep.

Abstract

Background: Occupational burnout is common in mental health professionals, but its impact on patient outcomes is as yet uncertain. This study aimed to investigate associations between therapist-level burnout and patient-level treatment outcomes after psychological therapy.

Methods: We used multilevel modeling using depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) outcomes data from 2,223 patients nested within 49 therapists. Therapists completed a survey including the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) and a job satisfaction scale (JDSS).

Results: After controlling for case-mix, around 5% of variability in treatment outcomes was explained by therapist effects (TE). Higher therapist OLBI-disengagement and lower JDSS scores were significantly associated with poorer treatment outcomes, explaining between 31 and 39% of the TE estimate. Higher OLBI scores were also correlated with lower job satisfaction ratings.

Conclusions: Therapist burnout has a negative impact on treatment outcomes and could be the target of future preventive and remedial action.

Keywords: burnout; multilevel modeling; psychological therapies; therapist effects.

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