Correlation Between Burnout Syndrome and Anxiety in Military Personnel

Professional military personnel are exposed to a large number of stressors every day at a higher rate than the civilian population, which can lead to psychological disturbances, primarily anxiety, as well as burnout syndrome. The aim of our investigation was to determine the correlation between burnout syndrome and anxiety in military personnel of the Serbian Armed Forces.

The cross-sectional study included a total of 311 professional military personnel (officers, non-commissioned officers and professional soldiers), between 23 to 53 years of age (35.3±7 years, on the average) without previous diagnosis of mental disorder. For purpose of this study we used Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). MBI contains three subscales, which measure three components of burnout: Emotional exhaustion (EE), Depersonalization (DP) and Personal accomplishment (PA). The statistical analysis included parametric and non-parametric descriptive statistics.

The highest level of burnout was measured on the sub-scales Emotional exhaustion (EE) in military personnel from 23 to 30 years old (p<0.05), while anxiety increased with age of military personnel (p<0.001). Total scores on the subscales Emotional exhaustion (EE) and Depersonalization (DP) increased, while on the subscale Personal accomplishment (PA) decreased with the increase of the total BAI score (p<0.001).

There was a correlation between burnout syndrome and anxiety in professional military personnel of Serbian Armed Forces. Improving the financial situation, paid recreational breaks and reduction of professional obligations could decrease anxiety and affect the prevention of the occurrence of burnout syndrome in the military environment.