Is there an independent association between burnout and increased allostatic load? Testing the contribution of psychological distress and depression

Abstract

Burnout has been suggested to be related to depression. We examined the relationship between burnout and allostatic load, and whether this association is independent of psychological distress and depression. We measured burnout psychological distress, depression, and allostatic load in 3283 participants. Higher burnout (=0.06, p=0.003) and cynicism (=0.03, p=0.031) and decreased professional efficacy (=0.03, p=0.007) were related to higher allostatic load independent of age, sex, education, occupation and psychological distress. Depression, however, explained 60percent of the association. Burnout is related to higher allostatic load, and this association partly overlaps with co-occurring depression.