Occupational stress, burnout and personality in anesthesiologists

Purpose of review There is a growing awareness of the problem of occupational stress and burnout among anesthesiologists. Occupational stress was found to be related to burnout, a process that is supposed to be moderated by personality. This article will discuss the topic of stress and burnout in relationship to anesthesiologists' personality based on recent literature. Recent findings Studies among anesthesiologists are in concordance with the broader body of literature on this topic. Personality consistently influences stress appraisal and coping and consequently the development of burnout. Neuroticism, negative affectivity and cooperativeness all contribute to burnout. Summary Strategies to alleviate stress and hence the development of burnout should not only be directed at adapting occupational or organizational factors but also at equipping anesthesiologists with psychological tools to deal with occupational stress. Furthermore, personality traits that predispose for development of burnout could be taken into consideration in resident selection procedures. Correspondence to Raymond A.B. van der Wal, MD, Anesthesiologist, Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Medicine, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Internal Postal Code 717, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Tel: +31 24 361 4406; fax: +31 24 354 0462; e-mail: Raymond.vanderwal@radboudumc.nl Copyright © 2018 YEAR Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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