The relationship between burnout and organizational commitment in two samples of health professionals

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Abstract
Relationships between dimensions of burnout and employee commitment to the organization were tested in two hospital samples, using structural equations analysis. Whereas burnout has typically been assumed to be a predictor of organizational commitment, the present data provided support for the converse hypothesis, that low commitment contributes to the experience of burnout. Specifically, in a sample of nurses (n = 197), commitment showed direct effects on emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and a weaker indirect effect (via exhaustion) on depersonalization. A similar pattern of effects emerged in a sample of laboratory technicians from the same organization (n = 110), although in this case the direct linkage between organizational commitment and depersonalization was not statistically significant. Implications for organizational efforts to reduce burnout are discussed.