[Stress, job satisfaction, and quality of life in the health professions: the role of burn-out and personality features].

Emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal achievement represent the main dimensions of the "burn-out syndrome" (B.O.). The risk of B.O. is especially elevated among people working in helping professions. These professionals work in settings that are characterised by a very strong emotional involvement. The representative sample of this study consisted of 100 subjects of whom a part of them worked in a psychiatric setting and others who didn't. All of them have been assessed through the M.B.I. and the E.P.Q. The purpose of the present study was especially: 1) to explore the existence of B.O. and its level, and 2) to verify the existence of some personality characteristics of employees which could be considered as possible predictors of B.O. syndrome. The statistical analysis showed that the three B.O. dimensions and therefore the B.O. syndrome were within the group of persons working in helping professions. The outcomes of this study encouraged an intervention focused on three parts: job organisation, self-management of psychological well-being and teamwork effectiveness.