Associations between therapists' occupational burnout and their patients' depression and anxiety treatment outcomes

Background: Occupational burnout is common in mental health professionals, but its impact on patient outcomes is as yet uncertain. This study aimed to investigate associations between therapist-level burnout and patient-level treatment outcomes after psychological therapy. Methods: We applied multilevel modelling using depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) outcomes data from 2223 patients nested within 49 therapists. Therapists completed a survey including the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) and a job satisfaction scale (JDSS). Results: After controlling for case-mix, around 5% of variability in treatment outcomes was explained by therapist effects (TE). Higher therapist OLBI-Disengagement and JDSS scores were significantly associated with poorer treatment outcomes, explaining between 31% and 39% of the TE estimate. Higher OLBI scores were also correlated with lower job satisfaction ratings. Conclusions: Therapist burnout has a negative impact on treatment outcomes and could be the target of future preventive and remedial action.