Antao Helena Sofia, Sacadura-Leite Ema, Aguiar Pedro, Gois Carlos, Marques Jessica, Pombo Samuel, Figueira Maria Luisa
Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
Public Health Research Center (PHRC), National School of Public Heath, Lisbon, Portugal.
Front Psychiatry. 2024 Nov 15;15:1425792. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1425792. eCollection 2024.
Burnout harms workers physical and mental health due to induced brain changes, autonomous nervous system and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis excessive activation. Although several correlations and risk factors have been identified, the research around burnout biological correlates remains underdeveloped. The omega-3 index has been proposed in mental health as a contributor to identify high risk patients and monitor disease advancements but the evidence on its relationship with burnout is limited. This study is meant to test the hypothesis that the omega-3 index is inversely associated with burnout levels and to discuss its potential as a biological correlate of burnout.
It had an observational, cross-sectional design and was carried out at a university hospital center between March 2021 and July 2023. We invited 319 healthcare professionals (doctors and nurses) at the occupational health and emergency departments. The omega- 3 index was determined through a prick finger test. Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment were measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Descriptive analyses were conducted to examine the participants' characteristics and outcome variables. Means, medians, interquartile ranges and standard deviations were calculated for continuous variables. Frequencies and percentages were obtained for categorical variables. We have used the individual dimensions' scores as continuous data in the evaluation of their relationship with the omega-3 index. The relationship between burnout levels and the omega-3 index was assessed through linear regression analysis.
We surveyed 300 subjects (94% response rate). High emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were reported by 29.9% and 22.1% of participants, respectively; 26.0% reported low personal accomplishment. The mean omega-3 index was 5.75%. The depersonalization score was, on average, 11.132 points higher (95% CI [4.661; 17.603]) in individuals whose omega-3 index was lower than 4%.
An omega-3 index below 4% seems to potentially be a biological correlate of depersonalization. Our results contribute to enlarging the knowledge about burnout biological correlates, an area that has been previously signalled as underdeveloped. Omega-3 index should be included in prospective studies that will investigate the evolution of other burnout biological correlates as the syndrome emerges and progresses in subjects at risk.
职业倦怠会导致大脑变化、自主神经系统以及下丘脑 - 垂体 - 肾上腺轴过度激活，从而损害员工的身心健康。尽管已经确定了一些相关性和风险因素，但围绕职业倦怠生物学相关性的研究仍不充分。ω-3指数已被提出用于心理健康领域，以帮助识别高危患者并监测疾病进展，但其与职业倦怠关系的证据有限。本研究旨在检验ω-3指数与职业倦怠水平呈负相关的假设，并探讨其作为职业倦怠生物学相关性指标的潜力。
本研究采用观察性横断面设计，于2021年3月至2023年7月在一家大学医院中心进行。我们邀请了职业健康和急诊科的319名医护人员（医生和护士）参与研究。通过手指采血检测来确定ω-3指数。采用马氏职业倦怠量表测量情感耗竭、去个性化和个人成就感。进行描述性分析以检查参与者的特征和结果变量。计算连续变量的均值、中位数、四分位间距和标准差。获得分类变量的频率和百分比。在评估其与ω-3指数的关系时，我们将各个维度的得分作为连续数据使用。通过线性回归分析评估职业倦怠水平与ω-3指数之间的关系。
我们调查了300名受试者（应答率为94%）。分别有29.9%和22.1%的参与者报告有高情感耗竭和去个性化；26.0%的参与者报告个人成就感较低。ω-3指数的平均值为5.75%。ω-3指数低于4%的个体，其去个性化得分平均高出11.132分（95%置信区间[4.661；17.603]）。
ω-3指数低于4%似乎可能是去个性化的生物学相关指标。我们的研究结果有助于扩大对职业倦怠生物学相关性的认识，该领域此前被认为研究不足。在未来研究中，当职业倦怠综合征在高危人群中出现和发展时，应将ω-3指数纳入研究其他职业倦怠生物学相关性演变的前瞻性研究中。
