A Burnt-Out Health: Stigma towards Mental Health Problems as a Predictor of Burnout in a Sample of Community Social Healthcare Professionals

Abstract

Burnout is a primary psychosocial risk factor in the workplace. Mental health stigma, which includes negative cognitions, emotions, and behaviors, also undermines the performance of social healthcare professionals. This study aimed to explore the levels of burnout in a sample of community social healthcare workers as well as its relationships with variables such as stigma towards mental health problems, professional skills, and job characteristics. An online assessment was conducted with 184 social healthcare professionals (75.5% female, mean age = 40.82 years, SD = 9.9). Medium levels of burnout and stigma and high levels of professional skills were observed. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that stigma towards mental health problems and professional skills predicted emotional exhaustion (R2 = 0.153, F(4, 179) = 9.245, p < 0.001), depersonalization (R2 = 0.213, F(3, 180) = 17.540, p < 0.001), and personal accomplishment (R2 = 0.289, F(5, 178) = 15.87, p < 0.001). These findings suggest that social healthcare systems could benefit from taking care of the mental health of their workers by addressing burnout, tackling negative attitudes towards mental health problems, and providing professional skills training. This would help to make social healthcare systems more inclusive and of higher quality, thereby reducing health costs.