Is Burnout More Than Just a Work Thing?

Burnout, generally considered job-related, might come down to other factors.

Excerpt: "The researchers surveyed 813 Norwegian workers who had reported feeling burnt out but found that less than 30 percent of them said their jobs were the primary source of their burnout. These findings suggest that a broader range of factors and pressures in everyday life could lie behind those symptoms.

“People who experience burnout describe stress in their daily lives which leads to a form of depression,” said NTNU psychologist Renzo Bianchi. “You could call it depressive stress in life.”

Although some participants called work stressful and cited factors such as job security and colleague support, others pinned their burnout firmly on other life stressors. And this is not the only study to move away from burnout as occupational phenomenon. Whilst the World Health Organisation (WHO) defines burnout as “chronic workplace stress,” another study led by Bianchi and others (this time involving 468 people) found that only 44 percent pinned their burnout symptoms directly on their work. ²

And there’s more: 64 percent of participants in a US study said that their jobs were not the main cause of burnout; a study from Switzerland showed similar results; and a meta-analysis involving 48 different studies found that the connection between work and burnout was not as strong as once thought.

It’s true that most people spend most of their lives in work, but it’s also true that work stress can be compounded by other stressors elsewhere. Further research is needed before the diagnostic goalposts shift."