Burnout, areas of worklife and associated factors among industrial workers: a cross-sectional study from Thailand

Burnout, a global mental health concern, significantly impacts individual well-being and organizational productivity. Industrial workers are considered a high-risk group for experiencing elevated stress levels increasing the risk of burnout. Research on the relationship between burnout and areas of worklife is limited for workers in non-human service settings, especially within the industrial sector. This study aimed to investigate burnout prevalence, associated factors, and its relationship with the areas of worklife mismatch among industrial workers in Thailand. A cross-sectional study assessed burnout among 390 industrial workers (87.4% of 446) from a company in Thailand between June and August 2024. The questionnaire consisted of three sections including personal and occupational factors, the Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS), and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS). Descriptive and inferential statistics, including bivariate analysis and binary logistic regression, were employed for data analysis. Forty-four industrial workers (11.3% of 390) reported burnout. Burnout was statistically associated with strong family relationships, mental disorders, sleeping seven or more hours per day, and working more than eight hours per day. Burnout was associated with a mismatch in six dimensions of areas of worklife including workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values. In conclusion, industrial workers showed relatively low burnout levels in this study. Factors including family relationships, mental disorders, sleep duration, and working hours were significantly associated with burnout. A mismatch in all six areas of worklife had a strong association with burnout.