ABSTRACT

Introduction: Burnout and depression both occur with chronic work-related stress, and cognitive deficits have been found when symptom severity results in work disability. Less is known about cognitive deficits associated with milder symptoms among active workers, and few studies have examined whether cognitive deficits predict persistent burnout and depression symptoms. The goal of this study was to examine the association of information processing speed and executive function performance to burnout and depression symptoms at baseline and 12-month follow-up in a sample of actively working individuals (N = 372).

Method: The design was prospective with laboratory cognitive data at baseline, and burnout and depressive symptoms assessed at baseline and monthly follow-ups. Information processing speed and executive functions were assessed in a task-switching paradigm, including single-task reaction time (RT), switching costs, and mixing costs. Burnout was assessed with the Exhaustion subscale of the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory and depression with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.

Results: Slower RT was modestly associated with higher levels of burnout symptoms both cross-sectionally and prospectively, but switching costs and mixing costs were not associated with burnout symptoms. None of the cognitive measures were associated with depression symptoms cross-sectionally or prospectively.

Conclusions: Despite statistically significant findings of slowed RT in acute exhaustion-related burnout, the proportion of variance accounted for in the models was small and did not predict clinically significant levels of distress. The absence of statistically significant findings for depression symptoms suggests the cognitive profile associated with the exhaustion dimension of burnout may be distinct from that of depression, which reflects a more heterogeneous symptomatology. Our data suggest the clinical impact of burnout symptoms on actively working individuals is marginal; nonetheless, it is important to screen and intervene on burnout and depression symptoms in the workplace because they can lead to other forms of work impairment.

摘要

简介: 倦怠和抑郁都发生在与工作相关的慢性压力中，当症状严重导致工作残疾时，就会发现认知缺陷。对于活跃工人中与较轻症状相关的认知缺陷知之甚少，也很少有研究检查认知缺陷是否能预测持续的倦怠和抑郁症状。本研究的目的是在积极工作的个体样本中检查信息处理速度和执行功能性能与基线和 12 个月随访时的倦怠和抑郁症状之间的关系（N = 372）。

方法：该设计是前瞻性的，在基线时使用实验室认知数据，在基线和每月随访时评估倦怠和抑郁症状。在任务切换范式中评估信息处理速度和执行功能，包括单任务反应时间 (RT)、切换成本和混合成本。倦怠是用奥尔登堡倦怠量表的疲惫子量表评估的，抑郁症是用患者健康问卷 9 评估的。

结果: 较慢的 RT 与较高水平的倦怠症状适度相关，无论是横向还是前瞻性，但转换成本和混合成本与倦怠症状无关。没有一项认知测量与横断面或前瞻性的抑郁症状相关。

结论：尽管在急性疲劳相关的倦怠中减缓 RT 有统计学意义的发现，但模型中的方差比例很小，并且不能预测临床上显着的痛苦水平。抑郁症状缺乏统计学意义的发现表明，与倦怠的疲惫维度相关的认知特征可能与抑郁不同，后者反映了更异质的症状。我们的数据表明，倦怠症状对积极工作的人的临床影响是微不足道的；尽管如此，对工作场所的倦怠和抑郁症状进行筛查和干预很重要，因为它们可能导致其他形式的工作障碍。