By: Melissa Barlock
Individual Factors
Before we consider potential preventative measures and intervention strategies to address burnout, it is important to identify all the various causes so that each one can be looked at in turn. It is useful to categorize the multitude of sources into different levels of organization, from personal and work-related factors that contribute to burnout, all the way up to the societal level. Remember, however, that burnout is a work-related phenomenon, so although personal characteristics doubtlessly play a role, situational factors at work may be more important. In either case, because different people respond to the same situation in different ways, it is clear that an interaction exists between the two—that is, burnout results when the demands of the environment exceed the ability of the individual to cope.
While some of the following burnout-related factors apply more specifically to dentists and hygienists who are practice owners and operators, most of the factors can affect every member of the dental team, and certainly everyone has a stake in the outcome, and that includes patients!
Individual Factors/Personal Resources
Previous stress:
As with all occupations, what one experiences outside of the work environment will have an impact on what one experiences inside of work. Dentistry is no different.
Personality:
There are various theories that attempt to characterize various personality types or personality traits, and some patterns of thinking seem to be more correlated with burnout than others. For example, many dentists may be so-called Type-A personalities, with a tendency to be overly ambitious and competitive, with a high need for control, even becoming easily frustrated and irritated to the point of hostility;
interestingly, this factor in particular may have a stronger link to the development of heart disease than the others. The neuroticism trait in the Big Five model, and “feeling types” in Jungian analysis may also be linked to burnout. Some characteristics that fall under these categories include introversion, anxiety, anger/hostility, self-consciousness, self-esteem, immoderation, etc.
Job attitudes/expectations and other characteristics:
Perfectionism:
If there is one trait that comes to mind when one thinks of a dentist, it is perfectionism. There is no such thing as perfect, and living in a not-so-perfect world can be frustrating. Exceedingly high expectations and idealism are other constructs that fall into this category.
External locus of control:
Locus of control refers to the extent to which an individual believes his or her actions will impact the outcome of a situation. Those that have an internal locus of control believe that they have power to influence the outcome of a situation, while an individual with an external locus of control believe that outcomes are out of their control, and reliant on luck, fate, or other external factors.
Resilience:
Also known as hardiness, resilience refers to one’s ability to withstand and resist stressors, and to return to a homeostatic/balanced state. It can be increased by raising one’s threshold or tolerance, combined with mental and physical processes to relieve the tension. For instance, involvement in daily activities and openness to change can be beneficial. Resilience is
an important personal resource when it comes to burnout, so there will be much more to say about it when we talk about combatting burnout.
Emotional investment and outcome:
Humans like fairness. When one perceives that what they are investing in their work is not counterbalanced by what they are getting out of it, discomfort may ensue. This is in line with the social psychological equity theory and reciprocity, if you recall from a previous post.
More characteristics:
Some other characteristics to look out for include one’s ability to be responsive to positive feedback from others, estimate one’s talents and successes, make compromises, say “no,” pay attention to one’s own needs, express feelings, interact with others, and be flexible, among others.
Personal Skills:
Management capacities:
Practice management can be stressful, but minimal preparation is often provided in dental school; most dental practitioners get into dentistry to be medical providers. However, management can be rewarding, and overall experience along with sufficient training can be very valuable. Check out our articles on leadership and other management-related topics!
Communication skills:
As with management training, it is somewhat surprising how little training in social and communication skills is offered in many dental schools. While dentistry tends to attract the science-curious, it is above all a people industry. Luckily we have plenty of articles on communication, too!
Coping style:
There are hundreds of coping styles and strategies, but without awareness and education, most individuals tend to fall back on one or a few without even realizing it. Some coping styles, like active coping, are more productive, while others, such as passive, avoidant, and defensive coping are less helpful and even detrimental.
Demographic variables:
Although one does not have control over most aspects of their demographic profile, facets of a person’s social identities and how they intersect (intersectionality) often contribute to one’s experience in the world. These include demographic variables such as age, sex, gender, marital status, education, nationality, ethnicity, religion, etc. For example, employees over 40 years of age seem to be less susceptible to exhaustion, but this may be more related to work experience than age per se.
On the other hand, they may be more likely to exhibit depersonalization over time. Similarly, those who are or were married may also be less prone to burnout. Interestingly, a higher level of education seems to be correlated with burnout; this may be due to the stress that comes with greater responsibilities or the pressure to maintain a desirable status. Most variable are not strongly predictive, and individual circumstances are probably more important, so if you’re curious you can always look up the latest research to find out more. A change in mindset and a willingness to delegate tasks can go a long way.
Overall, dentistry is a highly rewarding career, and with increasing resources available at the profession’s disposal, that trend is only likely to continue.
We’re almost getting to the good stuff! Next we’ll move on to work-related factors that contribute to burnout before heading onto solutions. Hope to see you there!
Enspire Dental Opportunities is looking forward to working with you.
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