Past performance and future perspectives of burnout research

Abstract

After a brief introduction on the history of burnout, this article reviews the past performance of burnout research by answering ten key-questions: (1) How can burnout be assessed?; (2) Is burnout limited to the human services?; (3) Is burnout a mental disorder; (4) What is the prevalence of burnout?; (5) Is burnout a global phenomenon?; (6) Is burnout relevant for organisations; (7) What are the causes of burnout?; (8) What are the consequences of burnout?; (9) How can burnout be explained?; (10) Are burnout interventions effective? In the concluding section a future research agenda is drafted on the bases of the answers given to the previous questions. This agenda includes such issues as the measurement and conceptualisation of burnout, mild and severe forms of burnout, epidemiological and cross-cultural perspectives, organisational outcomes, longitudinal investigations, theoretical explanations, and interventions. Opsomming Na ’n kort inleiding oor die geskiedenis van uitbranding gee hierdie artikel ’n oorsig van vorige prestasie van navorsing ten opsigte van uitbranding deur tien sleutelvrae te beantwoord: (1) Hoe kan uitbranding bepaal word?; (2) Is uitbranding beperk tot die mens-dienste?; (3) Is uitbranding ’n geestesafwyking?; (4) Wat is die voorkoms van uitbranding?; (5) Is uitbranding ’n wêreldwye verskynsel?; (6) Is uitbranding relevant vir organisasies?; (7) Wat is die oorsake van uitbranding?; (8) Wat is die gevolge van uitbranding?; (9) Hoe kan uitbranding verklaar word?; (10) Is uitbrandingsingrepe effektief? In die gevolgtrekking word ’n toekomstige navorsingsagenda op grond van die antwoorde op die voorafgaande vrae opgestel. Hierdie agenda sluit aangeleenthede soos die meting en konseptualisering van uitbranding, matige en ernstige vorme van uitbranding, epidemiologiese en kruiskulturele perspektiewe, organisasie- uitkomste, longitudinale ondersoeke, teoretiese verklarings en intervensies in.