Burnout and Impaired Cognitive Performance: Review of Evidence, Underlying Processes and Future Directions

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the question whether job performance of burnout employees is impaired. Reduced job competence is one of the main features in most definitions of burnout and several studies suggest that the performance of burnout employees is indeed poorer compared to that of healthy employees. One of the factors contributing to reduced job competence may be an impaired cognitive functioning. Many employees suffering from burnout report memory problems and difficulties with concentration. This paper reviews the evidence for impaired cognitive performance in burnout and addresses whether the results provide support for the various psychopathological processes that could underlie these cognitive impairments. A number of studies, but not all, showed that the performance of people suffering from burnout on neuropsychological tests is indeed inferior to that of healthy controls. Although it is not yet clear which psychopathological processes underlie these cognitive impairments, our findings suggest that impaired cognitive performance in burnout may stem from a structural condition which cannot be easily reversed. Finally we propose future directions for research on cognitive performance in burnout and conclude that further research is needed to investigate whether different subgroups of burnout patients can be distinguished and whether the subgroups offer a different prognosis toward recovery of burnout symptoms and cognitive impairments.