Structure of Clinical Manifestations of Burnout Syndrome in Functional Diagnostic Physicians: Analysis of Somatic, Affective, Cognitive, and Behavioral Components

The subject of the study is the clinical manifestations of emotional burnout syndrome in functional diagnosticians, examined from the perspective of somatic, affective, cognitive, and behavioral components. The paper analyzes the specific features of the professional activities of this group: working in darkened rooms, prolonged static posture, high patient throughput, and the lack of feedback on diagnostic results. The article substantiates the insufficient adequacy of K. Maslach’s three‑component model for this group of specialists. The following specialized areas of the professional profile are identified: emotional and sensory exhaustion; musculoskeletal distress; technical dehumanization; reduction of achievements, which transforms into professional fatalism; cognitive impairments. The study of the structure of clinical symptoms and their relationship with the psychopathological component is reflected, as well as a comparison of the results with the studies conducted by therapists. The work substantiates the need to change the existing diagnostic scheme and to develop specialized preventive measures based on the results of the study. The empirical study was conducted on a sample of 228 functional diagnostics doctors and 80 general practitioners. A set of psychodiagnostic methods was used: MBI, TAS-20, the EmIn emotional intelligence questionnaire, the Lazarus coping strategies questionnaire, and the author’s questionnaire on somatic symptoms. Methods of descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, factor analysis, and multiple regression analysis were applied. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the empirical verification of the five‑factor structure of burnout syndrome in functional diagnostics physicians, which is not reducible to the classical triad. For the first time, new constructs have been introduced and operationalized — “professional fatalism” (the belief that one’s own diagnostic work has no impact on the outcome of the disease) and “technical dehumanization” (the transfer of an indifferent or cynical attitude from the patient to the technical aspect of the diagnostic process). The use of these terms is justified by the fact that the classical concepts of depersonalization and reduction of achievements do not fully reflect the specifics of the work of FD doctors; the terms were proposed by the authors of this study and are being introduced for the first time. It has been established that the clinical picture of burnout in this group of specialists is characterized by the dominance of reduction of personal achievements (49.1% at a high level), which has been transformed into professional fatalism, as well as by pronounced sensory and musculoskeletal distress, which is not detected by standard questionnaires. A clinical and psychological model has been developed that integrates professional and environmental, clinical, and psychological factors, and the directions for prevention have been substantiated, taking into account the professional specifics of functional diagnostics physicians.