Iran Occupational Health

Background and aims: Burnout is a psychological syndrome that can be detected in most jobs that require long-term interaction with humans, and it gradually endangers the mental health of service providers. Individual differences can modify this exhaustion better or worse. The aim of this study was to examine the mediating role of emotion regulation in the relationship between burnout and mental health of a group of university office workers.  
Methods: In a cross-sectional design, 234 employees working in the five university parts (vice-chancellors) participated in this study. We applied a multi-stage cluster sampling. All participants completed these scales: General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS).       
Results: The results showed there are significant relationships between burnout and mental health, and between burnout and emotional dysregulation. Burnout both directly and indirectly, through a difficulty in emotion regulation affects the mental health of university staff. Difficulty in emotion regulation also has little independent effect on mental health.       
Conclusion: Based on these results, it seems that all working people, even in relatively similar conditions are not affected the same psycho-social side effects of their jobs. The results indicate the mediation of emotional regulation, that has both theoretical and practical implications.