Burnout Profiles Among French Workers in Health Units for Inmates: Results of the EHCAU Study
Abstract Background: Professionals who work in penitentiary environments are at a risk of burnout due to a variety of factors. Recent literature has proposed a classification system involving five burnout profiles in a continuum between engagement and burnout. The objective of this study is to measure the prevalence of these profiles among professionals working in all care levels in French health units providing health services for inmates and to investigate their characteristics to propose appropriate prevention and management strategies.Methods: This study involved a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Evaluation of Health CAre in Units for inmates (EHCAU) study, a multicentric cohort study of professionals working in health units for inmates in the East area of France. Occupational burnout was measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) at the emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment levels. Job conditions and characteristics were assessed using the Karasek Job Content Questionnaire and the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire. Data on sociodemographic characteristics and self-reported health status were also collected. Differences between MBI profiles were identified using Fisher’s exact test and Wilcoxon test.Results: Of 350 professionals surveyed, 150 responded (42.9%). The most frequent profiles were ineffective (36.9%) and engagement (34.8%). Burnout (7.8%), overextended (15.6%), and disengaged (5.0%) profiles made up the remaining quarter. Significant differences were seen in the burnout profiles in regard to professional occupation (p=0.01), irregular eating hours (p=0.04), history of complaint procedures (p=0.05), anxiety (p<0.0001), depression (p<0.0001) and the mental component of self-reported quality of life (p<0.0001).Conclusions: These results confirm that special attention should be given to professionals working in these challenging settings. The results have important implications for theory and research and for more customized approach interventions.Trial registration: ID RCB : 2018-A03029-46