ArticleInternational archives of occupational and environmental health2020
Prospective associations between burnout symptomatology and hair cortisol.
Article in International archives of occupational and environmental health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Biological Markers of Burnout Severity: A Systematic Review.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2026Pooled it
- Associations among hair cortisol-to-DHEA ratio, psychological capital, harsh parenting, and internalizing problems in adolescence.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- The association between hair cortisol and burnout is moderated by age, psychosocial, and immunological markers.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2025Article
- Is Smart Working Beneficial for Workers' Wellbeing? A Longitudinal Investigation of Smart Working, Workload, and Hair Cortisol/Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate during the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Job demands and resources as drivers of exhaustion and leaving intentions: a prospective analysis with geriatric nurses.BMC geriatrics · 2023Article
- Hair cortisol change at COVID-19 pandemic onset predicts burnout among health personnel.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2022Article
- Hair-based biomarkers in women with major depressive disorder: Glucocorticoids, endocannabinoids,Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology · 2021Article
- Association between burnout and immunological and endocrine alterations.Romanian journal of morphology and embryology = Revue roumaine de morphologie et embryologieArticle
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesBurnout is a stress-related, psychological syndrome due to high levels of job stressors. It has been found to be related to impairments of well-being, health, and job outcomes. Alterations of glucocorticoid secretion might be a mechanism explaining the linkage between burnout and reduced psychophysical functioning. Regarding hair cortisol as indicator this assumption, so far, has been only examined in cross-sectional studies. Therefore, we aimed to compare cross-sectional and prospective associations between different burnout symptoms and hair cortisol, additionally investigating potential nonlinear associations.
methodsThe prospective study sample comprises 194 employees (95% nurses) from German geriatric care. We assessed burnout symptoms at baseline (t1) and 6 months later (t2) and collected hair samples for cortisol analyses at t2.
resultsWe found significant cross-sectional and prospective nonlinear (i.e., exponential) but not linear relationships between an aggregated measure of the burnout subscales emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced efficacy and hair cortisol, even after adjusting for BMI and depressive mood. None of the single subscales of burnout was related to hair cortisol after adjusting for confounders.
conclusionsOur findings further support the assumption that accumulated burnout symptoms and hypercorticolism are positively related.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.