1402 - LATENT PROFILES OF WORKAHOLISM, PERFECTIONISM, AND CORE SELF-EVALUATIONS: IMPLICATIONS FOR JOB BURNOUT

Session: D01S004 - Workplace Well-Being & Mental Health 4
AUTHORS:
Hirva Laura (Tampere Universities, Faculty of Social Sciences, Work Research Centre ~ Tampere ~ Finland) , Saija Mauno (Tampere Universities, Faculty of Social Sciences, Work Research Centre ~ Tampere ~ Finland) , Anne Mäkikangas (Tampere Universities, Faculty of Social Sciences, Work Research Centre ~ Tampere ~ Finland)
Abstract text:
This study aimed to identify individual profiles based on three trait-like burnout risk factors: workaholism, perfectionism, and low level of core self-evaluations (CSE). Using a person-centred approach and cross-sectional survey data from a multi-industrial sample of Finnish employees (n=10,470), we examined how these individual risk factors combine, and how the combinations relate to job burnout (i.e., exhaustion, mental distance, cognitive impairment, and emotional impairment). Results indicated six distinct profiles based on the combinations of the studied trait-like phenomena. Profiles characterized by elevated workaholism and perfectionism and low core self-evaluations showed higher job burnout symptoms, particularly exhaustion. The profiles that combined higher CSE with low workaholism and low perfectionism were associated with higher mental distancing. Only among one profile, "positive perfectionism", characterized by low workaholism, but high level of perfectionism and high CSE, burnout was lower. Additional analyses examined the impact of work- and individual-related predictors (e.g., occupational status, remote work, gender, age, and previous burnout) on the profile membership. Women and those with previously diagnosed job burnout were more likely to be in the high perfectionism-high workaholism profile compared to other profiles. Older workers were less likely to belong to this risk profile than other profiles. The findings suggest that the combination of high workaholism and perfectionism together with low core self-evaluations is a risk for all burnout symptoms. The emergence of a "positive perfectionism" profile emphasizes that perfectionism and workaholism are distinct constructs. Although perfectionism and workaholism may often co-occur, high perfectionism can also occur without workaholism, especially in individuals with high CSE. Overall, low core self-evaluations appear to be a more critical risk factor for job burnout than high perfectionism or workaholism alone. Our study contributes to the understanding of trait-like vulnerability factors behind job burnout. The results can help design targeted interventions to better support employee well-being.