Job control and burnout across occupations

Psychol Rep. 2005 Dec;97(3):955-61. doi: 10.2466/pr0.97.3.955-961.

Abstract

Researchers have reported that, for individual workers, low job control is associated with high burnout; however, as yet it is unclear whether this association holds for occupations as well. Whether differences in job control between occupations as assessed by eight expert judges could account for individual-level and occupational-level differences in burnout rates. Data were obtained from 9,503 incumbents of 28 occupations in The Netherlands (M age = 37.9 yr., SD = 8.7; 50% were men). Burnout was measured on the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Occupational-level job control was inversely correlated with burnout, explaining 16% of the variation in occupational-level burnout. Thus, between-occupation differences in job control are somewhat systematically related to burnout.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Burnout, Professional*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Job Satisfaction*
  • Male
  • Occupations*