Alexithymia and emotional burnout in health care professionals

Introduction. The high-intensity workloads can contribute to emotional burnout (EB) in healthcare care workers (HCP). Alexithymia (AT) is one of the external determinants of EB.

The purpose of the study is to identify the relationship between alexithymia and psychological characteristics and EB in healthcare care workers.

Material and methods. The psychometric online study was conducted using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, V.V. Boyko’s questionnaire, Leonhard-Schmishek’s questionnaire, the Spielberger-Khanin scale, the Zung scale, and E. Heim’s method, as well as the Lifestyle index. Results are presented as medians, upper and lower quartiles, and extensive indicators. The Mann-Whitney U test and χ² criterion were used to compare indicators, correlation analysis was used to assess the relationship between features, and contingency table analysis and relative risk calculations were used to assess the probability of EB developing.

Results. 37.8% of HCP were diagnosed with AT, 40.0% had an intermediate degree of AT, and 22.2% of HCP had a “non-alexithymic” personality type. High levels of state anxiety, trait anxiety, depression, differences in the structure of character accentuations, and predominantly use maladaptive forms of behavioral strategies are characterized for AT persons. The symptoms of “experiencing psychotraumatic circumstances” and “dissatisfaction with oneself” predominate in the Tension phase in HCP with AT; emotional and moral disorientation are in the Resistance phase; depersonalization, emotional deficit reduction of occupational responsibilities are in the Exhaustion phase. The greatest strength of connections is noted between AT and state anxiety, trait anxiety, depression, the Tension phase, and the Resistance phase symptom “reduction of occupational responsibilities”. The severity of AT increases the risk of forming the Tension phase, the “reduction of occupanional responsibilities” symptom of the Resistance phase by 3.0–5.5 times.

Limitations. The study is one-stage, performed with the participation of one occupational group.

Conclusion. Alexithymia and emotional burnout should be considered as interrelated components that form a complex pattern of professional maladjustment in healthcare care professionals. The results substantiate the importance of considering personality factors when developing psychoprophylactic measures to prevent EB in healthcare personnel.

Compliance with ethical standards. The study was performed in accordance with ethical standards and approved by the Local Ethics Committee of the East-Siberian Institute of Medical and Ecological Research (conclusion No. 3 dated February 16, 2021, conclusion No. 5 dated March 21, 2023).

Contribution:
Pankov V.A. – concept and design of the study, collection of material, writing text, editing, approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article;
KuleshovaM.V. – concept and design of the study, collection and processing of material, statistical processing, writing text, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article.
All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding. The work was performed within the funds allocated for the implementation of the State task for the East-Siberian Institute of Medical and Ecological Research.

Received: March 25, 2026 / Accepted: July 1, 2026 / Published: September 28, 2026

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