The Relationship Between the Big Five Personality Factors and Burnout: A Study Among Volunteer Counselors

• Published in: The Journal of social psychology Vol. 146; no. 1; pp. 31 - 50
• Main Authors: Bakker, Arnold B., Van Der Zee, Karen I., Lewig, Kerry A., Dollard, Maureen F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC Heldref 01.02.2006; Taylor & Francis Inc
• Subjects: Achievement Need; Big Five; Biological and medical sciences; Burnout; Burnout, Professional - psychology; Caregivers; Caring; Coping; Counseling; Counsellors; Female; Five factor model; Food; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical personnel; Mental stress; Middle Aged; Multiple Regression Analysis; Netherlands; Personality; Personality traits; Personality. Affectivity; Professionals; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Regression Analysis; Researchers; Role Conflict; Social psychology; Stress; stress and coping; Terminal Care - psychology; Voluntary work; volunteer counselors; Volunteers; Volunteers - psychology; Workers; Netherlands; Human; Big Five; Volunteering; Big Five personality model; stress and coping; Terminal stage; Personality; Coping; burnout; volunteer counselors; Stress; Occupational burnout
• ISSN: 0022-4545; 1940-1183
• DOI: 10.3200/SOCP.146.1.31-50

In the present study of 80 volunteer counselors who cared for terminally ill patients, the authors examined the relationship between burnout as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (C. Maslach, S. E. Jackson, & M. P. Leiter, 1996) and the 5 basic (Big Five) personality factors (A. A. J. Hendriks, 1997): extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and intellect/autonomy. The results of 3 separate stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that (a) emotional exhaustion is uniquely predicted by emotional stability; (b) depersonalization is predicted by emotional stability, extraversion, and intellect/autonomy; and (c) personal accomplishment is predicted by extraversion and emotional stability. In addition, some of the basic personality factors moderated the relationship between relative number of negative experiences and burnout, suggesting that personality may help to protect against known risks of developing burnout in volunteer human service work.