The Gulf War and its impact on burnout and well-being of working civilians.

Burnout signifies the chronic depletion of coping resources following prolonged exposure to emotionally charged demands. It is manifested by symptoms of emotional, physical and cognitive exhaustion, and is usually studied in relation to occupational stressors. We hypothesized that the major life crisis engendered by missile attacks would give rise to burnout or exacerbate preexisting burnout symptoms.