Chronic burnout, somatic arousal and elevated salivary cortisol levels

Burnout syndrome, comprised of the symptoms of emotional exhaustion, physic al fatigue, and cognitive weariness, is believed to be a result of ineffect ive coping with enduring stress. This study of 111 nonshift blue-collar wor kers free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) examined whether chronic burnout is associated with a state of somatic and physiological hyperarousal. Resul ts showed that 37 workers exhibited symptoms of chronic burnout, with sympt oms lasting at least 6 months. These workers, compared to those with no bur nout symptoms (n = 52) or nonchronic burnout symptoms (n = 22), had higher levels of tension at work, postwork irritability, more sleep disturbances a nd complaints of waking up exhausted, and higher cortisol levels during the work day. These results suggest that chronic burnout is associated with he ightened somatic arousal and elevated salivary cortisol levels. This may be part of the mechanism underlying the emerging association between burnout and risk of CVD. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc.