International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

July 2013, Vol. 3, No. 7

ISSN: 2222-6990

Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and Burnout among

Healthcare Employees

Dr. Syed Mohammad Azeem

Assistant Professor, Department of Management Sciences, Yanbu University College
Saudi Arabia
E-mail address: syed.azeem@yuc.edu.sa

DOI: 10.6007/IJARBSS/v3-i7/68 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v3-i7/68

Abstract

This study examines the relationship among conscientiousness, neuroticism and burnout in
healthcare staff of private hospitals. Moreover, the study also examines the influence of
conscientiousness and neuroticism on burnout of the respondents. 120 respondents were
contacted in 8 private hospitals for data collection but only 90 of them completed the survey.
Maslach’s burnout inventory (MBI) and Big-Five Inventory were used as measuring instruments.
Results reveal that conscientiousness was negatively and significantly related to dimensions of
burnout. Neuroticism was found to be positively and significantly related to dimensions of
burnout. Multiple regression analysis was used to see which among the independent variable
predicts burnout in the sample. Results show that conscientiousness significantly predicts all
the dimensions of burnout and neuroticism significantly predicts only emotional exhaustion and
reduced personal accomplishment dimensions of burnout.

Key Words: conscientiousness, neuroticism, and burnout

1.0 Introduction

For the last two decades, healthcare industry in India expended drastically. This expansion is
taken place mostly in the private sector. Many big and small hospitals are established in almost
every big and small city which opened the employment opportunities for the professionals in
large numbers but at the same time could not meet the demand of number of hospitals
required to provide better services to the people at large. Big number of patients is seen in
every hospital from morning till late evenings with variety of ailments. These patients belong to
different economic strata and demographic background. This poses a challenge for healthcare
staff to deal with patients and meet their expectation at the same time. Every day healthcare
staff confronts stark suffering, grief, and death as few other people do. Many tasks are routine
and unrewarding. Many are, by normal standards, distasteful, even disgusting, others are often
degrading, and some are simply frightening. Considering the fact that the job of healthcare
workers is quite challenging and stressful, they are more prone to be burned out.

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ISSN: 2222-6990

Burnout is conceptualized as a psychological syndrome which occurs in response to

interpersonal stressors in the work environment (Maslach et al., 2001). It is an individual level
phenomenon and can be viewed as a negative emotional experience which is a chronic,
ongoing affective response. Burnout is a combination of physical fatigue, emotional exhaustion
and cognitive weariness. It is this consideration of the depletion of the individual‟ s energetic
resources that makes burnout unique (Shirom, 1989). Pines and Aronson (1988) state that
“burnout is formally defined and subjectively experienced as a state of physical, emotional, and
mental exhaustion caused by long–term involvement in situations that are emotionally
demanding.” They identify the symptoms as including physical depletion, feelings of
helplessness, disillusionment, negative self-concepts and negative attitudes towards work and
life itself.

Initially the concept and understanding of burnout was restricted to individuals who
worked in people-orientated human service roles but it has been extended to other
occupations with expansion of research in different other profession. (Maslach et al., 2001).
Later researches have suggested that individuals working in any kind of occupation may be at
risk from burnout (Maslach, 2003). Demerouti et al. (2001) conducted a research on employees
from 21 different jobs in three occupational fields provide empirical evidence that burnout is
not restricted to only human services professionals.

Burnout is related to important negative outcomes for individuals and organizations as

well. Findings of research in the field of burnout have found that it is related to reduced
employee organizational commitment (Hakanen et al., 2006), lower productivity and
performance (Maslach et al., 2001), reduced engagement (Hakanen et al., 2006), employee ill-
health (Hakanen et al., 2006; Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004), increased absenteeism and depression
(Neveu, 2007) and increased turnover intentions (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004).

Those who are burned out can also negatively affect their colleagues through increased
personal conflict and disruption of the tasks assigned to them (Maslach et al., 2001).
Maslach (1982) characterized burnout as being composed of three components of emotional
exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. This is the definition
adopted in this study. Each of the three components is described more fully below.

1.1 Emotional Exhaustion

It is a chronic state of emotional and physical depletion and is characterized by feelings of being
overextended and exhausted by the emotional demands of work. Emotional exhaustion is
defined by Moore (2000: 336) as “the depletion of emotional and mental energy needed to
meet job demands.” It has emerged as the central variable for understanding the burnout
process (Cordes & Dougherty, 1993; Cropanzano, Rupp & Byrne, 2003).

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ISSN: 2222-6990

1.2 Depersonalization

Depersonalization is a measure of the individual‟ s interpersonal context and represents a

negative or detached response by the individual (Maslach & Schaufeli, 1993). Emotional
exhaustion and depersonalization are generally considered to be the core dimensions of
burnout (Demerouti et al., 2001). Depersonalization is characterized by withdrawal and mental
distancing from recipients (Demerouti et al., 2001) and development of an indifferent or cynical
attitude (Maslach & Schaufeli, 1993). Individuals who are high in depersonalization are likely to
engage in long breaks and extended conversations with co-workers, and may use derogatory
language and jargon (Cordes & Dougherty, 1993).

1.3 Reduced Personal Accomplishment

The third component, reduced personal accomplishment, refers to the individuals’ negative
self-evaluation of themselves (Maslach & Schaufeli, 1993; Wright & Cropanzano, 1998). An
individual feels a sense of reduced personal accomplishment when he/she feels ineffective and
incompetent at work and a lack of productivity or achievement (Maslach & Schaufeli, 1993).
There is a feeling of a lack of progress or even of losing ground (Cordes & Dougherty, 1993).

As personality can be referred to as the way an individual thinks, feels or acts it seems
reasonable to expect that personality factors will influence how a person reacts to the stressors
they encounter in the work place (George & Brief, 2004).

Previous research has demonstrated that an individual’s response to stressor effects

and the coping mechanisms adopted are dependent on aspects of the individual’s personality
(Connor-Smith & Flachsbart, 2007; George & Brief, 2004), with positive coping styles being
related to well-being (Jex et al., 2001). In an attempt to incorporate cognitive approaches to
stress and coping to the prediction of burnout, Leiter (1991) found empirical support that
coping styles adopted by individuals significantly predicted burnout. Zellars et al. (2000) clearly
indicated that personality plays an important role in the development of burnout.

The conservation of resources model (Hobfoll, 1989, 2001; Hobfoll & Freedy, 1993) (see
section 2.1.6) recognizes the role of personality characteristics as important resources (Hobfoll,
1989) and the role of individual cognitive processes in the development of burnout (Lee &
Ashforth, 1996). In a study based on the conservation of resources theory Wright and Hobfoll
(2004) found that psychological well-being predicted burnout. They commented that their
results “point to the importance of personality factors, especially psychological well-being, in
the burnout process”.

Individuals high in conscientiousness tend to be dutiful, self-disciplined, organized,

ambitious, hardworking, persistent, efficient at carrying out tasks, and achievement orientated
(Barrick & Mount, 1993; Spangler et al., 2004). Those low in conscientiousness tend to be easy-
going, less exacting on themselves and others, negligent, disorganized, lazy and aimless (Barrick
& Mount, 1993; Spangler et al., 2004).Therefore, from consideration of the existential model of
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ISSN: 2222-6990

burnout it is predicted that individuals who are high in conscientiousness will experience lower
levels of burnout.

Earlier research on the relationship between conscientiousness and burnout has

produced rather mixed findings. Bakker et al. (2006) in a study of Dutch volunteer counselors
and Zellars et al. (2000) in a study of nurses in a large hospital in the United States, found
conscientiousness not to be significantly correlated to any of the three components of burnout.
Deary et.al (1996) found conscientiousness to be negatively correlated to emotional exhaustion
and reduced personal accomplishment but not to depersonalization among Scottish doctors.

Individuals who are high in neuroticism tend to be nervous, suffer from high levels of
worry, are emotional and insecure, have feelings of inadequacy (Costa et al., 1986) and tend to
view the world through a negative lens (Bono & Judge, 2004). They tend to worry about
unpleasant situations, react negatively to unexpected events and take a long time to return to a
normal emotional state (Spangler et al., 2004). Neurotic individuals are stress prone, emotional,
nervous, irritable and lacking in self-confidence Thus, from consideration of the conservation of
resources model of burnout it is again predicted that neuroticism will be positively related to
burnout.

Prior research has consistently found neuroticism to be related to all three components
of burnout (see, for example, Bakker et al., 2006; Deary et al., 1996; Francis et al., 2004;
Hetland et al., 2007; LePine et al., 2004; Piedmont, 1993; Zellars et al., 2000).

After reviewing the literature I am proposing the following hypotheses for the present
study:

Hypothesis I: I propose negative relationship between all the components and

conscientiousness.

Hypothesis II: I propose positive relationship between all the components and neuroticism.

1.4 Purpose

In this study, the relationships between an individual’s conscientiousness and neuroticism on

each of the components of burnout are investigated.

2.0 Methodology

2.1 Sample

120 respondents were contacted in 8 private hospitals in northern part of India for data
collection but only 90 of them completed the survey.

2.2 Tools used

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ISSN: 2222-6990

2.2.1 Burnout

The respondents’ level of burnout was measured using the 22-item Maslach Burnout Inventory
(MBI) (Maslach & Jackson, 1981). Responses were gathered on a 0 to 6 Likert-type scale. For
each item, response 0 represented the lowest level of burnout, while response 6 represented
the highest level. For instance, a sample item is “I feel emotionally drained from my work”.
Responses for the sample items were: 0. Never; 1. A few times per year; 2. Monthly; 3. A few
times per month; 4. Every week; 5. A few times per day; 6. Every day.

2.2.2 Conscientiousness and Neuroticism

In their assessment of measures of the Big-Five, John and Srivastava (1999) recommend using
the Big Five Inventory (BFI) (John, Donahue & Kentle, 1991; cited in John & Srivastava, 1999:
122) as an efficient measure of the core attributes of the Big-Five. Conscientiousness was
measured with the relevant nine-item scale and neuroticism with the eight-item scale.
Responses were gathered on a 1 to 5 Likert-type scale with the respondent asked a set of
sentences describing how they see themselves. For instance, a sample item for
conscientiousness is “Makes plans and follows them through” and for neuroticism a (reversed)
item is “Remains calm in tense situations”. Responses were 1. Strongly disagree; 2. Disagree; 3.
Neither disagree nor agree; 4. Agree; 5. Strongly agree. Once reverse scored items were
corrected, a high score indicated a high level in the personality trait.

3.0 Results and Discussion

Bivariate correlations were calculated for the variables and are shown in table 2. As
hypothesized, conscientiousness was negatively correlated to the unidimensional measure of
burnout and all its three components: unidimensional measure of burnout (r = -.354, p < .01),
emotional exhaustion (r = -.295, p < .01), depersonalization (r = -.264, p <.01) and reduced
personal accomplishment (r = -.214, p <.05). Neuroticism was found to be positively correlated
to the unidimensional measure of burnout and all its three components - unidimensional
measure of burnout (r = .440, p < .01), emotional exhaustion (r = .485, p <.01),
depersonalization (r = .207, p < .05), reduced personal accomplishment (r = .186, p <.05). Age
and tenure were not found to be significantly related with any of the variables used in this
study.

Table 1. Descriptive Statistics for Variables

Variable Mean S.D.

Age 25.7 12.4

Tenure 6.4 2.30

Emotional Exhaustion (EE) 14.6 8.57

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Depersonalization (DEP) 1.73 2.52

Reduced Personal Accomplishment (rPA) 13.6 8.72

Burnout (MBI) 29.9 14.3

Conscientiousness (CONSC) 37.4 5.21

Neuroticism (NEURO) 18.8 6.13

Table 2. Bivariate Correlations for CONSC, NEURO, EE, DEP, rPA and MBI

Variable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1. Conscientiousness -
(CONSC)

2. Neuroticism (NEURO) - -
.355**

3. Emotional Exhaustion - .485** -

(EE) .295**

4. Depersonalization - .207* - -
(DEP) .264** .302**

5. Reduced Personal -.214* .186* - .148 -

Accomplishment (rPA) .321**

6. Burnout (MBI) - .440** .448** .748** .541**

.354**

7.Age .121 .101 .124 .115 .111 .163 -

8.Tenure .112 .023 .135 .113 .151 .143 .532**

Test of significance were two-tailed. N=90. *p<.05; **p<.01; and *** p<.001

As predicted, conscientiousness was found to be significantly and negatively

contributing to emotional exhaustion with coefficients of B = -.066, F = 3.567. The squared
partial correlations R² of .285 for conscientiousness indicate a moderate influence on emotional
exhaustion. Neuroticism was found to be significantly and positively related to emotional
exhaustion. The coefficient for the neuroticism was B = .143, F =11.269, giving support for
Hypothesis 2. The increase in the squared partial correlation R² of .341 indicates a high
influence. That is, individuals with high levels of conscientiousness are likely to experience

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ISSN: 2222-6990

lower levels of emotional exhaustion than those with low levels of conscientiousness. The
relationship between neuroticism and emotional exhaustion is positive with a high degree of
influence. That is, neurotic individuals are likely to experience higher levels of emotional
exhaustion than emotionally stable individuals.

Table 3: Stepwise Multiple Regression Analysis

(Emotional Exhaustion as Criterion Variable)

Variable Beta (β) R Square F P

Conscientiousness -.069 .285 3.567** .001
(CONSC)
Neuroticism .143 0.341 11.269* .000
(NEURO) **
*p<.05; **p<.01; and *** p<.001

To determine the influence of independent variables with depersonalization

conscientiousness and neuroticism were added separately to the next step. Conscientiousness
was found to be negatively predicting depersonalization B = -.162, F = 2.365. Neuroticism was
not found to be significantly predicting depersonalization. (B = .038, F= .382).

Table 4: Stepwise Multiple Regression Analysis

(Depersonalization as Criterion Variable)

Variable Beta (β) R Square F P

Conscientiousness -.162 .078 2.365* .001
(CONSC)
Neuroticism .038 .041 0.382 .384
(NEURO)
*p<.05; **p<.01; and *** p<.001

Conscientiousness was found to be significantly and negatively predicting reduced

personal accomplishment (B = -.151, F = 1.973), whilst neuroticism was found to be positively
significant in predicting reduced personal accomplishment (B = .091, F = 1.725). The results of
this section support a negative relationship between conscientiousness in the prediction of
reduced personal accomplishment.

Table 5: Stepwise Multiple Regression Analysis

(Reduced Personal Accomplishment as Criterion Variable)

Variable Beta (β) R Square F P

Conscientiousness -.151 .09 1.973** .001

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(CONSC)
Neuroticism .091 .04 1.725* .003
(NEURO)
*p<.05; **p<.01; and *** p<.001

Table 6 revealed that conscientiousness is predicting burnout significantly (B = -.355, F =

4.999). Neuroticism was found to be positively predicting burnout (B = .689 F = 8.312).

Table 6: Stepwise Multiple Regression Analysis

(Burnout as Criterion Variable)

Variable Beta (β) R Square F P

Conscientiousness -.355 0.161 4.99** .000

(CONSC)
Neuroticism .689 0.198 8.31** .000
(NEURO)
*p<.05; **p<.01; and *** p<.001

Both personality traits were found to be significantly related to burnout.

Conscientiousness was found to be negatively and neuroticism positively related. Hypothesis 1,
2 are supported by the findings of the study.

4. Conclusion

It has been found that consciousness factor helps against the effects of burnout among the
respondent in the present study. Healthcare employees should become aware of the causes
and symptoms of burnout. This could help them become aware of their own and others’
emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and low personal accomplishment, and take
corrective actions before the effects of burnout are too serious. They should be adequately
educated about the possible effects of stress they undergo on a daily basis and how best they
can cope up with stress and burnout. Staff in the hospitals could be selected by applying
standardized personality inventory in order to be sure that they have constructive coping
strategies and are not too neurotic. Since private sector investment is increasing in India in the
health sector, it is important to compete with the competitors to have efficient healthcare
workers to satisfy the patients’ expectations and at the same time gaining the competitive
advantage.

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Acknowledgement

This study was conducted in northern part of India. I am thankful to those who helped me in
the collection of data for this present study. I am also thankful to those respondents who
spared their valuable time in filling out the given questionnaires.

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