Cited by 111Stress Responses and CortisolStress and Burnout ResearchHealthcare professionals’ stress and burnout

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Clinical burnout is not reflected in the cortisol awakening response, the day curve or the response to a low-dose dexamethasone suppression test

Mommersteeg, Paula M.C., Heijnen, Cobi J., Verbraak, Marc J.P.M., van Doornen, Lorenz J.P.·2006·Psychoneuroendocrinology

DOI 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2005.07.003

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Abstract

Burnout is presumed to be the result of chronic stress, and chronic stress is known to affect the HPA-axis. To date, studies on HPA-axis functioning in burnout have showed inconsistent results. In the present study, a large sample (n=74) of clinically diagnosed burnout individuals, mostly on sick-leave, were included and compared with 35 healthy controls. Salivary cortisol was sampled on 2 days to determine the cortisol awakening response (CAR) and the day-curve. In addition, the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was applied to assess the feedback efficacy of the HPA-axis. There were no differences observed in the CAR, day-curve or CAR after DST in the burnout group as compared to a healthy control group. Burnout shows overlap in symptoms with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and depression. Therefore, differential changes in HPA-axis functioning that resemble the hypo-functioning of the HPA-axis in CFS, or rather the hyper-functioning of the HPA-axis in depression, might have obscured the findings. However, no effect of fatigue or depressive mood on HPA-axis functioning was found in the burnout group. We concluded that HPA-axis functioning in clinically diagnosed burnout participants as tested in the present study, seems to be normal.

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Authors: Mommersteeg, P. M. C., Heijnen, C. J., Verbraak, M. J. P. M., & van Doornen, L. J. P.
Affiliations: Utrecht University (NL)
University Medical Center Utrecht (NL)
HSK Groep (NL)
Corresponding author: Mommersteeg, Paula M.C.
ORCID: Mommersteeg, Paula M.C.
Heijnen, Cobi J.
Venue: Psychoneuroendocrinology
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2006-02
Volume: 31
Issue: 2
Pages: 216-225
ISSN: 0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2005.07.003
OpenAlex: W2097041359
Cited by: 111
References: 52
Citations by year: 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 8
FWCI: 4.76
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
www.elsevier.com/legal/tdmrep-license (tdm)
Locations: Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
Topics: Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout
Keywords: burnout, cortisol awakening response, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, dexamethasone suppression test, chronic stress, salivary cortisol, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, fatigue, sick leave
MeSH terms: Adult, Analysis of Variance, Burnout, Professional, Circadian Rhythm, Dexamethasone, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Male, Middle Aged, Pituitary-Adrenal System, Reference Values, Saliva, Wakefulness, Chi-Square Distribution, Statistics, Nonparametric, Area Under Curve, Feedback, Physiological

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Clinical burnout is not reflected in the cortisol awakening response, the day curve or the response to a low-dose dexamethasone suppression test

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