This study investigates how personality traits, social axioms and therapeutic orientations affect burnout of professionals who work in the area of addictions.

110 psychiatrists, social workers, and counselors participated in the study. They worked in Alcohol and Drugs Treatment and Rehabilitation Clinics. The professionals anonymously completed the following questioners: Social Axioms Survey (Leung et al., 2002), a modernized version of Therapeutic Attitudes Scale (Sandell et al., 2004), and Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (Maslach & Jackson, 1986). Social Axioms Survey measured three basic beliefs regarding world functioning: social cynicism, reward for application, and religiosity. Therapeutic Attitudes Scale measured the professionals’ beliefs of what are the best ways to help the client. They related to three types of therapeutic orientations: cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, and systemic. Burnout Inventory measured three aspects of professional burnout: exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy; however, since exhaustion and cynicism scales were highly correlated (r = 71), they were combined into one scale, called emotional weariness.

A stronger belief in social cynicism associated with a higher level of emotional weariness. In addition, a stronger systemic therapeutic orientation was associated with a lower level of emotional weariness. There was a positive relationship between the reward for application belief and the sense of professional efficacy. Therapeutic beliefs were not related to the sense of professional efficacy.

The results of this study may help to identify addiction area professionals who are prone to burnout and would allow the development of burnout prevention and coping programs.