Associations between effort-reward imbalance and risk of burnout among Swedish physicians.

Background: The high prevalence of burnout among Swedish physicians may have several possible effects on individuals and society. However, further investigations of work-related factors associated with the risk of burnout among Swedish physicians are needed.

Aims: We aimed to study the associations between psychosocial work factors, based on the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model, and the risk of burnout among Swedish physicians.

Methods: A representative sample of 7200 Swedish physicians was invited in 2021. Data were gathered through questionnaires, with a response rate of 41%. Logistic regression models were used to study the associations between exposure to ERI and the risk of burnout.

Results: Approximately 62% of Swedish physicians were exposed to a high ERI. Exposure to a high ERI was associated with 11 times increased risk (95% confidence interval 6.5-20.0) of burnout in adjusted models. Large variations in the prevalence of ERI and risk of burnout across sociodemographic and occupational factors were identified, particularly across different clinical specialties.

Conclusions: A majority of Swedish physicians were exposed to high levels of work-related stress, strongly associated with an increased risk of burnout. This population-based cross-sectional study underlines the need to further study variations of work-related stress across clinical specialties and to monitor occupational health among physicians longitudinally.