Investigation of Association between Occupational Burnout and Driving Behavior among Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences Staff

Healthcare providers suffer from occupational burnout due to emotional and physical pressures dealing with patients, which affects all aspects of living behavior. This study aimed to identify the association between occupational burnout and driving behavior among the employees of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.

A descriptive- analytical study was conducted on 1629 employees of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences that were selected using random sampling. The employees completed a demographic questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory, and Manchester Driver Behavior Questionnaire. The data were assessed based on a Likert scale. 

The results of occupational burnout analysis showed that the mean scores of emotional exhaustion (72.2-22.2-5.6%), cynicism (0.6-42.8-51.6) and professional inefficacy (31.8-21.8-46.4%) were mild, moderate and severe, respectively. The results also showed a significant relationship between depersonalization disorder and unintentional driving violations (P=0.026), driving-related errors and self-adequacy (p=0.023), and occupational burnout and driving behavior and the variables of gender, shift work, working hours, and educational groups. In general, occupational burnout was higher in women than in men (P<0.05). 

Educational programs can improve low - risk driving ability among this group of employees. Psychological and counseling services should be reinforced in organizations so that the employees attain the ability to adapt to occupational psychological pressures to reduce occupational burnout in the long term.