Burnout among Psychotherapists: A Cross-cultural Value Survey among 12 European Countries during the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine cross-cultural differences, as operationalized by Schwartz's refined theory of basic values, in burnout levels among psychotherapists from 12 European countries during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. We focused on the multilevel approach to investigate if individual- and country-aggregated level values could explain differences in burnout intensity after controlling for sociodemographic and work-related characteristics and COVID-19-related distress among participants. Methods In this study, 2915 psychotherapists from 12 countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Finland, Great Britain, Serbia, Spain, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, and Switzerland) participated in this study. The participants completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Service Survey, the revised version of the Portrait Values Questionnaire, and a survey questionnaire on sociodemographic and work-related factors. Results Multilevel analysis revealed that burnout at the individual level was negatively related to self-transcendence and openness-to-change values but positively related to self-enhancement and conservation values. However, no significant effects on any values were observed at the country level. Moreover, male sex, younger age, being single, and reporting higher COVID-19-related distress were identified as significant burnout correlates. Conclusions Burnout among psychotherapists may be a transcultural phenomenon, where individual differences among psychotherapists are likely to be more important than differences between the countries of their practice. This finding enriches the discussion on training in psychotherapy in an international context and draws attention to the neglected issue of mental health among psychotherapists in the context of their professional functioning.