Prevalence and characteristics of professional burnout among the academic teaching staff of a multidisciplinary university

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DOI: 10.22138/2500-0918-2026-23-3-496-508

M.V. Chernyaev

RUDN University, Moscow, Russian Federation

Abstract

Background. Burnout among academic teaching staff is a key threat to university sustainability. Russian studies of this problem have been conducted mainly in single faculties and rely on heterogeneous instruments, which limits the comparability of estimates for multidisciplinary universities and hampers evidence-based prevention. Aim. To assess the proportion of respondents subjectively reporting signs of professional burnout and associated factors among the academic teaching staff (ATS) of a Russian multidisciplinary university and to substantiate directions for its prevention. Methods. A cross-sectional sociological survey of 364 employees of Patrice Lumumba RUDN University was conducted in 2025. The main group comprised 155 ATS; the other categories formed the comparison group. Signs of burnout were assessed by self-report on a five-point scale that is not a validated psychometric instrument, so the values obtained reflect the proportion of respondents subjectively reporting signs of burnout. Descriptive statistics with Wilson 95% confidence intervals, Pearson's χ²-test, Student's t-test and Spearman's correlation coefficient were applied (p<0.05). Results. Signs of moderate-to-severe burnout were subjectively reported by 41.9% of ATS (95% CI 34.5–49.8) versus 34.0% (95% CI 27.9–40.6) in other categories (overall figure 37.4%; OR=1.40; 95% CI 0.91–2.16; p=0.149). The highest rates were among full professors and Doctors of Science (53.3%) and in the 45–54 age group (47.5%); between-group differences by academic position (p=0.770) and by age (p=0.794) were not statistically significant. The stress–burnout correlation was weak (p=–0.078; p=0.159), pointing to a multifactorial rather than stress-driven nature. Among ATS with burnout, 72.3% rated its prevention as important or very important (mean 3.86±1.01), and 75.4% supported stress management programs. Conclusion. A high proportion of ATS subjectively reporting signs of burnout was established, not explained by stress level alone, alongside a clear demand for prevention. The findings outline, as possible directions for further work, the development, within an academic medical cluster, of comprehensive prevention integrating psychological counselling, screening of the psycho-emotional state and sanatorium-based recovery, effectiveness of which requires separate empirical verification.

Keywords: professional burnout, academic teaching staff, multidisciplinary university, University of Health, psycho-emotional health

There is no conflict of interest.

Contact information of the author responsible for correspondence

Mikhail V. Chernyaev
mikhailcherniaev@mail.ru
Received: 23.06.2026

For citation

Chernyaev M.V. Prevalence and characteristics of professional burnout among the academic teaching staff of a multidisciplinary university. Vestn. Ural. Med. Akad. Nauki. = Journal of Ural Medical Academic Science. 2026, Vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 496-508. DOI: 10.22138/2500-0918-2026-23-3-496-508 (In Russ)

Funding

The study was carried out without external funding.

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Author

Mikhail V. Chernyaev
RUDN University
Cand. Sci. (Med.), Associate Professor, Department of Hospital Surgery with the Course of Pediatric Surgery
mikhailcherniaev@mail.ru
ORCID ID: 0000-0003-4925-7475
Moscow, Russian Federation

 
 
 
 

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