Predictors of Burnout Syndrome among Professionals in the Pharmaceutical Industry in the Republic of Serbia

Objective: The aim of the research was to determine the frequency and severity of the burnout syndrome among the university educated professionals, working in pharmaceutical companies, related to burnout categories and to determine the connection between this concept and assertiveness. Method: The research was conducted by a cross-sectional study, on a suitable appropriate sample during 2016, and it included 75 university educated professionals, working in pharmaceutical industry in Serbia. The instruments used in the study included the trustworthy and reliable scales, as follows: Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Service Survey and Rathus Assertiveness Schedule. Results: The obtained results revealed the highest levels of burnout in 14% of the respondents, accompanied by high scores on the subscale of Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization, as well as the low scores on the Personal Accomplishment subscale. A cross-sectional analysis of socio-demographic determinants of our respondents in relation to the burnout syndrome has shown statistically significant differences in regards to line of business (χ2 = 10.834; p <0.05), gender (χ2 = 11.935; p <0.05), marital status (χ2 = 18.787; p <0.05), number of children in the family (χ2 = 17.142; p <0.05), age (p = 0.020), length of service (p = 0.018), length of service in the profession (p = 0.041) and working full-time while attending postgraduate school (χ2 = 19.910; p <0.01). An analysis of the results of our study has shown statistically significant differences in regards to the levels of assertiveness and the degree of burnout (p = 0.003). Conclusion: A burnout syndrome was more common in older female respondents whose average age is 41 years old or who has 15 years of service in profession in average, who worked full-time while attending postgraduate school, and who possessed lower levels of assertiveness.