Higher allostatic load in work-related burnout: The Regensburg Burnout Project

Christoph Bärtl; Gina-Isabelle Henze; Marina Giglberger; Hannah L Peter; Julian Konzok; Stefan Wallner; Ludwig Kreuzpointner; Stefan Wüst; Brigitte M Kudielka

doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105853

Higher allostatic load in work-related burnout: The Regensburg Burnout Project

Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2022 Sep:143:105853. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105853. Epub 2022 Jun 27.

Authors

Christoph Bärtl¹, Gina-Isabelle Henze², Marina Giglberger², Hannah L Peter², Julian Konzok³, Stefan Wallner⁴, Ludwig Kreuzpointner², Stefan Wüst², Brigitte M Kudielka²

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany. Electronic address: christoph.baertl@ur.de.
² Institute of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
³ Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
⁴ Department of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.

PMID: 35792379
DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105853

Abstract

Background: Burnout and chronic work stress have been linked to various negative health outcomes. While the mechanisms underlying this interplay are still unclear, the allostatic load (AL) model was suggested to demonstrate a possible biological pathway. However, previous studies provided divergent results regarding the association between burnout and AL, probably also due to the heterogeneity of selected samples. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine differences in AL between a conceptually strictly specified group of individuals suffering from burnout (BO group) and a healthy comparison group (HC group).

Methods: After a multi-stage recruitment procedure with strict inclusion criteria based on burnout symptomatology and pathogenesis, the BO group (n = 56) was compared to the HC group (n = 65) regarding an index of AL. The AL-index included 14 parameters: high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hsCRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), fibrinogen, d-dimer, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio (TC/HDL), dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate (DHEA-S), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), waist-hip ratio (WHR), and body fat percentage.

Results: The BO group showed significantly higher AL-scores in comparison to the HC group. This effect remained significant after adjusting for sex, age, and smoking status. Additionally, burnout symptoms (assessed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory; MBI), MBI-subscales emotional exhaustion and depersonalization as well as chronic work stress (assessed with the effort-reward imbalance questionnaire) were significantly associated with higher AL-scores.

Conclusions: Consistent with our hypothesis, we detected higher AL-scores in the BO compared to the HC group, indicating a greater cumulative physiological burden in individuals suffering from burnout. Given the high heterogeneity in individuals experiencing burnout symptoms, future studies may focus on well-specified subgroups, when examining the association between burnout and psychophysiological dysregulations.

Keywords: Allostatic load; Burnout; Chronic work stress; Depression; Effort-reward imbalance; Regensburg Burnout Project.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Allostasis* / physiology
Burnout, Professional* / psychology
Cholesterol, HDL
Glycated Hemoglobin / analysis
Humans
Occupational Stress* / complications
Surveys and Questionnaires
Waist-Hip Ratio

Substances

Cholesterol, HDL
Glycated Hemoglobin A