Burnout Syndrome, Anxiety Depression, Stress
Conditions
Keywords
burnout, anxiety, Mindfulness, Compassion, ABCT, healthcare personnel
Brief summary
Burnout is a common problem among healthcare professionals and may affect their psychological well-being, quality of life, and professional functioning. This study will examine whether an intensive compassion-based intervention can help reduce burnout and improve well-being in healthcare professionals. Participants will be randomly assigned to either an Attachment-Based Compassion Therapy intervention or a relaxation intervention. Outcomes will be measured before the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and three months later. Attachment-Based Compassion groups will be composed of 80 participants each, and TAU group will be composed of 80 participants (total sample n = 160). Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey - MBI-HSS. Burnout will be assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey. This questionnaire evaluates the three main dimensions of burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Items are rated on a Likert-type scale according to the frequency with which the participant experiences each symptom. Scores are calculated separately for each burnout dimension. In this study, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization will be considered the primary outcome variables, while reduced personal accomplishment will be considered a secondary outcome variable
Interventions
BEHAVIORALAttachment-based compassion therapy Compassion
Program consists of 8 session of 120 minutes/session (15-20 people) Written material andsound recordings will be offered as support elements. The estimated duration of the program is one weekend
BEHAVIORALRelaxation program
Relaxation program consists of 8 sessions of 120 minutes/session (15-20 people) Written material and sound recordings will be offered as support elements. The estimated duration of the program is one weekend
Sponsors
Hospital Miguel Servet
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
DOUBLE (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
1. Active healthcare professionals (physicians and nurses) of both sexes. 2. Understanding of spoken and written Spanish. 3. Availability of a computer and internet connection. 4. Written informed consent.
Exclusion criteria
* Previous psychological treatment within the last year, or current psychological treatment. Presence of a severe uncontrolled medical, infectious, or degenerative disease that may interfere with affective symptoms. Presence of a mental disorder related to substance dependence/abuse, or any other disease affecting the central nervous system. Suicide risk, defined as a score of ≥2 on item 9 of the PHQ-9. Scheduled surgical intervention during the course of the study.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| MASLACH BURNOUT INVENTORY HUMAN SERVICES SURVEY (MBI-HSS) | Baseline | In the compassion program group. Burnout will be assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey. This questionnaire evaluates three main dimensions of burnout in healthcare professionals: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Each item is scored on a Likert-type scale ranging from 0 to 6, where 0 indicates "never or almost never" and 6 indicates "almost always or always". Participants rate the frequency with which they experience each symptom. Higher scores on emotional exhaustion and depersonalization indicate a worse outcome, reflecting higher levels of burnout. Higher scores on personal accomplishment indicate a better outcome, whereas lower scores indicate reduced personal accomplishment and a worse outcome. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| MASLACH BURNOUT INVENTORY HUMAN SERVICES SURVEY (MBI-HSS) | Baseline | In the compassion program group. Burnout will be assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey. This questionnaire evaluates three main dimensions of burnout in healthcare professionals: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Each item is scored on a Likert-type scale ranging from 0 to 6, where 0 indicates "never or almost never" and 6 indicates "almost always or always". Participants rate the frequency with which they experience each symptom. Higher scores on emotional exhaustion and depersonalization indicate a worse outcome, reflecting higher levels of burnout. Higher scores on personal accomplishment indicate a better outcome, whereas lower scores indicate reduced personal accomplishment and a worse outcome. It is the same questionnaire, but the variables measured in point 1, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, are considered primary variables, whereas lack of personal accomplishment is considered a secondary variable. |
| Burnout Clinical Subtype Questionnaire BCSQ-12 | Baseline | In the compassion program group. Clinical burnout subtypes will be assessed using the Burnout Clinical Subtype Questionnaire-12. This questionnaire evaluates three burnout profiles in healthcare professionals: overload, lack of development, and neglect/wear-out. It includes 12 items distributed across these three dimensions, with four items per dimension. Each item is scored on a Likert-type scale ranging from 0 to 6, where 0 indicates "totally disagree" and 6 indicates "totally agree". Participants select the response that best reflects how frequently they have experienced each statement. Item scores are summed separately for each subscale, obtaining a raw score for each dimension. Higher scores indicate a greater presence of the corresponding burnout subtype and therefore a worse outcome. |
| Sussex-Oxford Compassion for the Self Scale (SOCS-S) | Baseline | In the compassion program group. Self-compassion will be assessed using the Sussex-Oxford Compassion for the Self Scale. This self-report measure evaluates compassion toward oneself. It includes 20 items distributed across five subscales: recognizing suffering, understanding the universality of suffering, feeling for the person suffering, tolerating the discomfort associated with suffering, and acting or being motivated to alleviate suffering. Each item is scored on a scale ranging from 1 to 5, where 1 indicates "not at all true" and 5 indicates "always true". Participants select the response that best reflects their experience. Higher scores indicate greater self-compassion and therefore a better outcome. The Spanish validation has shown adequate psychometric properties. |
| Sussex-Oxford Compassion for Others Scale (SOCS-O) | Baseline | In the compassion program group. Compassion for others will be assessed using the Sussex-Oxford Compassion for Others Scale. This self-report measure evaluates compassion toward other people. It includes 20 items distributed across five subscales: recognizing suffering, understanding the universality of suffering, feeling for the person suffering, tolerating the discomfort associated with suffering, and acting or being motivated to alleviate suffering. Each item is scored on a scale ranging from 1 to 5, where 1 indicates "not at all true" and 5 indicates "always true". Participants select the response that best reflects their experience. Higher scores indicate greater compassion for others and therefore a better outcome. The Spanish validation has shown adequate psychometric properties. |
| Depression Anxiety Stress Scales - DASS-21 | Baseline | In the compassion program group. Anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms will be assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales - 21. This self-report scale includes 21 items distributed across three subscales: anxiety, depression, and stress. Each item is scored on a 4-point Likert-type scale ranging from 0 to 3, where 0 indicates "never" and 3 indicates "almost always". Participants select the response that best reflects the frequency with which they have experienced each symptom. Item scores are summed separately for each subscale, obtaining a total score for anxiety, depression, and stress. Higher scores indicate greater severity of anxiety, depression, or stress symptoms and therefore a worse outcome. The Spanish validation has shown adequate psychometric properties. |
| FIVE FACETS MINDFULNESS QUESTIONNAIRE FFMQ | Baseline | In the compassion program group. Mindfulness will be assessed using the short form of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire. This self-report scale includes 15 items and evaluates the same five facets as the original version: observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-reactivity to inner experience, and non-judging of inner experience. Each item is scored on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 to 5, where 1 indicates "never or very rarely true" and 5 indicates "very often or always true". Participants select the response that best reflects their experience. Higher scores indicate higher levels of mindfulness and therefore a better outcome. The Spanish validated version used in this study has shown a factorial structure consistent with the original scale. |
| Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale - General | Baseline | In the compassion program group. Satisfaction and frustration of basic psychological needs will be assessed using the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction in General Scale. This self-report scale includes 16 items and evaluates three fundamental psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Each item is scored on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 to 7, where 1 indicates "totally disagree" and 7 indicates "totally agree". Participants select the response that best reflects their perceived satisfaction or frustration regarding these psychological needs. Item scores are summed to obtain a total score. Higher scores indicate greater satisfaction of basic psychological needs and therefore a better outcome. The Spanish validation of the 16-item version has shown adequate psychometric properties. |
| Treatment Received Satisfaction Scale | Baseline | In the compassion program group. Satisfaction with the treatment received will be assessed using the Treatment Received Satisfaction Scale. This self-report scale includes 4 items designed to evaluate whether participants are satisfied with the intervention received and whether they perceive it as effective. Items 1 and 2 are answered using five response options, while items 3 and 4 are answered using four response options. The scale provides three specific components: satisfaction, problem resolution, and perceived emotional change. A global score is calculated from these components according to the formula proposed by the authors. The global score ranges from 0 to 300, with higher scores indicating greater perceived treatment effectiveness and therefore a better outcome. |
| Reduced scale Highly Sensitive Person Scale to the Adult Spanish Population (RHSP) | Baseline | In the compassion program group. Sensory processing sensitivity will be assessed using the Reduced Highly Sensitive Person Scale to the Adult Spanish Population. This self-report scale includes 16 items designed to evaluate sensitivity in Spanish-speaking adults and to explore how sensitivity may influence different aspects of daily life and psychological well-being. Each item is scored on a Likert-type scale ranging from 0 to 7, where 0 indicates "totally disagree" and 7 indicates "totally agree". Participants select the response that best reflects their experience. Item scores are summed and divided by the number of items to obtain the final score. Higher scores indicate greater sensory processing sensitivity. |
Countries
Spain
Outcome results
None listed