A survey of burnout of the mental health occupational therapy staff in the Psychiatric Hospital, Bahrain

Emotional burnout is associated with decreased job performance and poor career satisfaction. It has special significance in mental health care settings, where clinicians experience psychological, emotional and physical stress. This study aimed to determine the extent to which occupational therapy staff employed in a Bahrain mental health setting were affected by burnout. Questionnaires were sent to all clinicians in the Psychiatric Hospital, Bahrain (n = 261). An effective response rate of 58% (n = 153) was achieved, with 13 of the responses being from the occupational therapy department. The research measure was the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), comprising emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment. The occupational therapy staff experienced a high level of emotional exhaustion, moderate depersonalisation and high personal accomplishment. They differed from other groups on the depersonalisation scale, scoring higher than any other professional group. The results are congruent with those of previous studies and it is proposed that the focus of future research should be on identifying causes of burnout.