Is This Really Burnout? Speech and Language Therapists’ Perspective

ABSTRACT Background The World Health Organization defines burnout as ‘the syndrome of chronic workplace stress that cannot be successfully managed’. Due to daily contact with individuals having communication disorders and their families, along with stressful working conditions, professional devaluation, occupational overload and poor management, speech and language therapists (SLTs) are at risk of experiencing burnout. The burnout level of SLTs working with such client profiles and under such an intense workload is a matter of curiosity. Aim This study aims to determine the burnout levels of Speech and Language Therapists in Türkiye and to investigate the related factors. Methods and Procedures Consisting of 138 women and 29 men, a total of 167 SLTs participated in the study. Their responses to the Demographic Form and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 software. Descriptive statistics, including mean, frequency, standard deviation and range, were employed to characterize the participants. To investigate the differences among the variables, independent groups t ‐tests, one‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post‐hoc analyses (Tukey, LSD) were conducted. Outcomes and Results The results indicate that the percentage of the SLTs with moderate‐level burnout in the Emotional Exhaustion subscale was 43.1% while 62.3% were determined to have low‐level burnout on the Depersonalization subscale. Furthermore, 74.9% of the participants reported low‐level burnout on the Low Sense of Personal Accomplishment subscale. The factors identified to significantly impact burnout levels are gender, age, educational background, work setting, length of professional experience, monthly income and concerns about shifting jobs ( p 0.05). Conclusions and Implications Although the current study indicates that SLTs do not experience high levels of burnout, a potential risk is suggested. Therefore, it is crucial to raise awareness about burnout among SLTs and to implement preventive measures. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS What is already known on the subject The World Health Organization (WHO) defines burnout as “the syndrome of chronic workplace stress that is not successfully managed”. The addition of three items to the existing definition by WHO aims to raise awareness about burnout: the presence of feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one's work or negative feelings towards one's career, and decreased professional productivity. Burnout among SLTs can be attributed to factors such as stressful working conditions, professional devaluation, occupational overload and poor management, as well as the challenges, relationships and expectations of clients and their families. Although there are some studies regarding burnout levels of SLTs and related factors, there is no study in Türkiye where the field of speech and language therapy is emerging. What this paper adds to existing knowledge A total of 43.1% of SLTs in Türkiye have a moderate level of Emotional Exhaustion. While 62.3% were determined to have low‐level burnout on the Depersonalization, 74.9% reported low‐level burnout on the Low Sense of Personal Accomplishment subscale. Gender, age, educational background, work setting, length of professional experience, monthly income and concerns about shifting jobs significantly impact the burnout levels. On the other hand, city, the number of workdays per week, the frequency of weekly assessments or therapy sessions, and the way of commuting to the workplace do not significantly influence burnout levels. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? As a result of this research, the participant will be able to summarize the burnout levels of speech and language therapists, see the factors that lead to burnout, and gain awareness of this issue. Research and Highlight Turkish SLTs are facing with moderate level of Emotional Exhaustion, low‐level Depersonalization, and Low Sense of Personal Accomplishment. Gender, age, educational background, work setting, length of professional experience, monthly income, and concerns about shifting jobs significantly affect the burnout. Although it is found that SLTs in Türkiye do not experience high levels of burnout, it is vital to raise awareness about burnout, its consequences, and preventive measures.