Professionalization Of Empathy And Predictors Of Helping Professionals’ Burnout

Abstract

The article presents the results of a study of empathy in connection with the severity of symptoms of burnout among nurses. To assess empathy we used Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) by M. Davis, to measure burnout level — Maslach Burnout Test (MBT). As a result of the regression analysis of the data, the main hypothesis of the study was confirmed: it is the level of personal distress as a phenomenon of empathy dysregulation that contributes to the development of symptoms of helping professionals’ burnout. “Positive” empathic processes (perspective taking, fantasy and empathic concern) could serve as a means of burnout prevention. Personal distress is seen in its relationship with alexithymia (measured by Toronto Alexithymia Scale TAS-20-R) and psychological mindedness (propensity to psychological thinking, measured by Psychological Mindedness Scale by H. Conte) as the characteris- tics that reflect emotional regulation and coping strategies. The work experience of nurses did not act as a predictor of burnout indicators. This article was prepared with the financial support of the Russian Foundation of Hu- manities (project № 15-26-01007) and Belarusian Republican Foundation for Fundamental Research (project №Г15Р-028), international project “Empathy development in socionomic (“helping”) professions”.

Keywords

• empathy
• IRI test
• perspective taking
• fantasy
• empathic concern
• personal distress
• empathy regulation
• professional burnout
• alexithymia
• psychological mindedness