BURNOUT AND NEUROCOGITION: INVESTIGATING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CLINICAL BURNOUT AND NEUROCOGNITIVE FUNCTIONING IN YOUNG DOCTORS

Abstract

This study aims to explore the body of research to discover the extent to which burnout can contribute to daily cognitive challenges among young physicians in hospitals around Pakistan. Data was obtained using a cross-sectional, correlational research design on 300 young doctors aged between 22 and 35 years working in public, private, and teaching hospitals. A total of two standardized questionnaires were completed by the respondents. Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) was used to evaluate emotional exhaustion, and a Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) was used to evaluate issues of memory and attention, and routine thinking capabilities. Pearson correlation and linear regression were used to analyze the data. The findings indicated a significant and powerful relationship between cognitive failures and burnout (r = -.675, p <.01). Burnout was also found to be a significant predictor of cognitive problems, as it explained 45.6 percent of the variation in cognitive failure scores. These results indicate that burnout is not only an emotional problem but a potentially damaging mental acuity and day-to-day performance issue. This research emphasizes the importance of addressing burnout by hospitals, providing young physicians with support systems, stress and mental health resources, to enable them to remain mentally healthy and give their best.