Middle Age Burnout: A Potential Developmental Event

the rate of middle age burnout in human professions and its causal factors were studied. The sample consisted of 1473 middle age adults working in Boniad-e-Shahid and Isargaran Foundation from eight provinces of Iran who were selected by stratified random sampling. The participants completed a demographic form, the MaslachBurnout Inventory (MBI; Maslach& Jackson, 1981), and a researcher-made burnout factors inventory. Findings indicated that 47%, 24%, and 29% of participants had high, moderate, and low levels of burnout, respectively. The differences between participant's levels of burnout were significant in all burnout factors. The differences between participants with high and low record of services were significant in all of the burnout subscales (emotional exhaustion,depersonalization, and loss of personal accomplishment) but were not significant in total burnout scale. The effects of workload, control, rewards and values system factors on burnout rate were significant. Implications of these findings in relation to prevention and treatment of middle age burnout as a potential event during psychological development process in human professional contexts were discussed.