An exploratory study on burnout among lawyers and doctors

Pages: 427-430
Swati Agarwal and B. Sushma (Centre for Health Psychology, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad)

An exploratory study was conducted to determine the prevalence and extent of burnout among doctors and lawyers. Differences based on gender, profession were looked into. Lawyers and doctors from the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, who were in the age range of 30 to 45 years, were purposively selected for the study. Their potential for burnout and level of burnout was ascertained. All the respondents were found to have high potential for burnout. Lawyers were found to have higher levels of burnout than doctors. Mixed results were found for gender differences. Burnout can cause psychological distress to the individual and has an adverse impact on the productivity of the professionals as well as the organization in which they are working. Interventions, by way of preventive strategies at the early stages of professional training and while being actively employed would go a long way in effectively handling the problem of burnout in the professionals.