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Impact of Burnout on Cortisol Reactivity: A Study on Stress Response in College Students

Explore how burnout affects cortisol levels in students through a stressor task, measuring reactivity to chronic stress. Findings suggest a nuanced relationship, highlighting the importance of addressing burnout for overall health.

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Impact of Burnout on Cortisol Reactivity: A Study on Stress Response in College Students

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  1. The Effect of Burnout on Cortisol Reactivity to a Laboratory Stressor Task Eddie Erazo University of California, Irvine

  2. Burnout • Defined as chronic exhaustion of a person’s energetic resources as the result of an extended period of stress • Involves negative outcomes such as emotional fatigue, physical exhaustion, and mental weariness • Sleep disturbance, impaired immunity, and cortisol alterations

  3. Cortisol • Stress hormone that is released in response to stress • Associated with negative physiological outcomes • Affects metabolism, mental, immune and endocrine system functions • However, it IS a normal and necessary part of healthy functioning, but not in chronically excessive or blunted levels

  4. HPA Axis • Sympathetic Nervous System • Fight/Flight Response (i.e. Heart Rate) • Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis Stressor Hypothalamus (CRH) Pituitary Gland (ACTH) Adrenal Gland Cortisol

  5. Cortisol and Disease • “So what?” • Often, stress is chronic in the form of pressure from boss or work without the definite end of an acute stressor, such as a speech • Repeated excessive cortisol reactivity or a blunted response takes a toll on the body and may lead to disease (i.e. CVD)

  6. Does burnout have an effect on cortisol levels? • Lack of agreement as to whether burnout increases, decreases, or has no effect • Different findings depending on CAR or day-curve focus • Important to determine whether there is an effect to further research cortisol’s role in disease

  7. Burnout’s effect on cortisol • For the most part, there is no effect in CAR when the MBI is used to measure burnout • Difficult to conclude an effect given the small number of studies having used the constructs of burnout and cortisol levels • Further research is needed to help solidify current findings

  8. Hypothesis • The literature shows that burnout may not have a definitive effect on cortisol levels in the absence of a stressor… • hypothesize that subjects high on burnout will have greater cortisol reactivity to a stressor than subjects low on burnout. Hypothesis Cortisol High Low 1 2 3 4 5

  9. Research Methods • 69 undergraduate students from the human subjects pool at the University of California, Irvine (after exclusions) • Burnout measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI ) • Saliva samples, or salivettes, used to measure cortisol levels

  10. Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) • 16 items broken into 3 subscales • Exhaustion (EX) • Cynicism (CY) • Professional Efficacy (PE-Reverse Coded) • Rate how often they feel this way (0-6): • “I feel emotionally drained from my work” (EX) • “I doubt the significance of my work” (CY) • “In my opinion, I am good at my job” (PE)

  11. MBI • Altered from “work” to “work/school (work)” • Divided subjects into 3 equal groups based on scores for each subscale

  12. Research Design • Subject’s baseline cortisol and burnout is found, followed by the stressor and the rest period • Stressor involves a 5 minute interview-like speech to an evaluative panel Samples: (Practice), 1 2, 3, 4, 5 Baseline Recovery Speech

  13. Results: Demographics • Ethnicity: • Mostly Asian- 61% (especially Chinese- 28%) • White- 16% • Latino- 9% • Other- 14% • Gender: • Fairly even split- 52% female, 48% male

  14. Gender Differences in cortisol reactivity (Males higher) Repeated Measures ANOVA showed that there was no effect between EX/CY/PE and cortisol However, PE graph showed differences in reactivity to the speech PE: Univariate ANOVA controlling for baseline and gender All time points were tested for group differences Only the 3rd time point (reactivity peak) was significant Results

  15. Graph adjusted: High PE = High burnout

  16. Graph adjusted: High PE = High burnout

  17. Summary • Burnout’s 3 subscales had different effects on cortisol reactivity • EX/CY had no significant effect • PE groups showed differences in cortisol • Contrary to hypothesis, those high on burnout (low PE) had blunted cortisol responses to the speech

  18. Possible Explanations • Ironically, a lack of confidence (low PE) may lead to apathy and prevent psychological stress, which could reduce the release of cortisol • *High burnout level, with regard to PE, caused the blunted cortisol response to the speech • This group may lack normal cortisol responses to stressful situations in general

  19. Implications • Given the association, treatment may help: • Decrease burnout • Cognitive Therapy …in order to restore normal health, including cortisol levels, and decrease the risk of disease, such as CVD, diabetes, depression, etc.

  20. Limitation • College students are, in general, more burnt out than the national average • Future research could use samples more representative of the United States • Effect sizes could be bigger and may reveal effects for EX and CY

  21. Acknowledgments • Prof. Sally Dickerson • Frank Zaldivar • Valerie Jenness • Peggy Mycek • Health Responses Lab Team • Social Ecology Honors Students

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