(PS10-98) Identifying Factors Associated with Burnout Among Clinical Psychology Doctoral Students

Abstract Text: Burnout, a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion, is an increasing concern among mental health professionals. While burnout among licensed professionals is well-documented, limited research has examined its impact on clinical psychology doctoral students, a population facing similar clinical stressors alongside academic demands, evaluative pressures, and financial strain. This study investigated the prevalence and predictors of burnout in clinical psychology doctoral students, focusing on workload, supervision, supervisory relationship quality, a range of demographic variables, and early maladaptive schemas (EMSs), which are deeply ingrained negative patterns of thinking and behavior that develop in childhood due to unmet emotional needs. Participants (N = 123) completed validated self-report measures assessing burnout, supervisory relationship quality, workload, and EMSs. Results indicated that 58.54% of participants met clinical criteria for burnout, with 82.93% endorsing personal burnout (e.g., frequently feeling tired, physically and emotionally exhausted, worn out, or unable to cope), 77.24% reporting work-related burnout, and 24.39% experiencing client-related burnout. A non-significant positive correlation was found between weekly workload and burnout, suggesting that workload alone does not explain burnout severity. Stronger supervisory relationships significantly predicted lower burnout levels (r(121) = -0.230, p = .011), whereas total supervision hours were not associated with burnout. Female students (N = 106) reported significantly higher burnout scores than male students (N = 12), t(116) = -2.158, p = .033, while race/ethnicity, relationship status, and employment status were not significant predictors. Several EMSs—Self-Sacrifice, Unrelenting Standards, Failure, Subjugation, Defectiveness, and Insufficient Self-Control—were significantly associated with burnout. A multiple regression model indicated that EMSs accounted for 30.6% of the variance in burnout scores (R² = 0.306, F(8, 114) = 6.268, p < .001), with Insufficient Self-Control emerging as the strongest predictor (b = 4.422, p = .006). These findings highlight the need for psychology doctoral programs to prioritize high-quality supervision and implement targeted interventions to address common underlying maladaptive cognitive patterns, both of which are critical for reducing burnout, protecting student well-being, and ensuring that future psychologists learn strategies to manage burnout and provide effective patient care.