Psychological Features of the Development of Emotional Burnout Syndrome in Volunteers

- Павлєєв, Віталій Олегович (orcid.org/0000-0003-1378-5815) (2026) Psychological Features of the Development of Emotional Burnout Syndrome in Volunteers Doctoral thesis, Інститут психології імені Г.С. Костюка.

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Abstract

Pavlieiev V.O. Psychological Features of the Development of Emotional Burnout Syndrome in Volunteers. - Qualifying scientific work submitted as a manuscript. Dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in specialty 053 Psychology. G.S. Kostiuk Institute of Psychology of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, 2026. The dissertation presents a theoretical generalization and an empirical solution to the problem of psychological features of the development of emotional burnout syndrome in volunteers. The study is based on clinical-psychological, neuropsychological, biopsychosocial, existential-meaning, resource-oriented, and multidisciplinary approaches. Emotional burnout syndrome in volunteers is conceptualized as a multilevel biopsychosocial and existential-psychological phenomenon formed at the intersection of prolonged stress exposure, high emotional and moral involvement, weakened self-regulation mechanisms, reduced psychological well-being, and functional imbalance of neuropsychological systems. It is substantiated that emotional burnout in volunteer activity cannot be reduced only to individual vulnerability or organizational difficulties. It appears as a consequence of allostatic load, maladaptive activation in response to prolonged social stressors, a crisis of meaning, deformation of self-attitude, and disruption of value coherence in activity. In the Ukrainian context of wartime volunteering, particular importance is attached to the tension between high humanitarian and moral goals and limited possibilities for their implementation, which increases the risk of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced sense of effectiveness. The aim of the study is to clarify the conceptual, theoretical-methodological, and methodological-applied foundations of the development, diagnosis, and psychological correction of emotional burnout syndrome in volunteers. The object of the study is emotional burnout syndrome in volunteers. The subject of the study is the psychological features of the development of emotional burnout syndrome in volunteers. The achievement of this aim was ensured through the completion of a set of research tasks: a theoretical analysis of emotional burnout in volunteers was carried out; an interdisciplinary approach was substantiated and a program of empirical research was developed; psychological, personality, self-regulatory, cognitive-style, and neuropsychological features of emotional burnout syndrome were empirically identified; differences between volunteers with different degrees of burnout severity were determined; a conceptual model of clinical-psychological intervention was developed; and the effectiveness of a psychological correction program for emotional burnout in volunteers was tested. The scientific research and findings are presented in three chapters of the dissertation. The first chapter, “Theoretical and Methodological Foundations of the Psychological Study of Emotional Burnout Syndrome in Volunteers,” analyzes contemporary approaches to understanding emotional burnout in the context of volunteer activity. Clinical-psychological, neuropsychological, socio-psychological, and culturalhistorical factors of the syndrome are examined. It is shown that volunteer activity combines high meaning-oriented motivation, empathic involvement, moral responsibility, frequent contact with crisis situations, and often insufficient organizational support. The expediency of considering emotional burnout syndrome as a functional imbalance of brain systems associated with depletion of energy support, reduced efficiency of information processing, and weakened regulatory control over voluntary behavior is substantiated. The second chapter, “Conceptualization and Design of the Empirical Study,” substantiates the methodological logic, stages, sample, psychodiagnostic tools, and procedures for statistical processing of the results. The study was conducted between 2022 and 2026 at the G. S. Kostiuk Institute of Psychology of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, as part of the activities of the international humanitarian 10 organizations Médicos del Mundo, Médecins Sans Frontières, and UNICEF “Spilno,” as well as a number of national volunteer organizations operating in Ukraine. The total sample comprised 713 adult volunteers aged 18 to 60 who were involved in medical, social, and military areas of humanitarian assistance. Based on screening results, a group of volunteers with pronounced emotional burnout syndrome (192 persons), a risk group (281 persons), and a control group without signs of burnout (240 persons) were identified. At the stage of approbation of the psychocorrectional program, 197 volunteers were involved: 57 persons with pronounced burnout, 76 persons from the risk group, and 64 persons from the control group. To comprehensively study the psychological characteristics of the respondents, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the KON-2006 Neurotic Personality Questionnaire, the Formal-Dynamic Properties of Individuality Questionnaire, the Four-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire (4DSQ), the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), the Style Analysis Survey, a method for diagnosing metacognitive strategies, the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory, and EEG monitoring using the portable Emotiv Insight 2 neurointerface were applied. The use of a set of clinical-psychological, psychodiagnostic, neuropsychological, and statistical methods made it possible to conduct a multilevel analysis of emotional burnout syndrome in volunteers. The third chapter, “Comprehensive Empirical Study of the Determinants of Emotional Burnout Syndrome and Approbation of the Psychocorrectional Program,” presents the results of the clinical-psychological and neuropsychological study and describes the model and program of psychological correction. The systemic nature of emotional burnout syndrome and a clear gradient of its severity were established. The group of volunteers with pronounced burnout demonstrated a critical level of emotional exhaustion; the integral burnout index in this group was 1.8 times higher than in the risk group and almost three times higher than in the control group. Depersonalization was identified as one of the leading indicators of syndrome severity, reflecting a psychological defense mechanism through emotional distancing and cynicism under conditions of chronic overload. A specific emotional-affective, temperamental, cognitive-style, and metacognitive profile of volunteers with pronounced emotional burnout was identified. They are characterized by statistically confirmed chronic distress, a tendency toward increased somatization, reduced cognitive flexibility, narrowing of the repertoire of learning and self-regulation strategies, deficits in planning, error correction, evaluation of results, and operational fatigue. Clinical depression was not found to be the leading differentiating factor, whereas the most sensitive psychological markers were feelings of danger, overload, risk propensity, emotionality, plasticity, and speed of psychomotor response. The risk group was characterized by a combination of increased emotional reactivity and insufficient plasticity, indicating preserved potential for preventive intervention. On the basis of a neuropsychological study using Emotiv Insight 2, objective neurophysiological markers of emotional burnout were verified. The most stable indicator was a statistically significant increase in the Stress index in the burnout group compared with the control group, indicating persistent cortical hyperactivation even in a state of relative rest. Engagement, Attention, and Excitement indicators were considered potential manifestations of compensatory neurocognitive hyperactivation. The EEG pattern of “destabilized relaxation” was outlined as reflecting the inability of the nervous system to achieve full recovery. Based on the obtained results, an integrative model of psychocorrection of emotional burnout syndrome in volunteers was developed. It is grounded in the principles of biopsychosocial-existential integration, neuropsychological substantiation of interventions, the existential-meaning approach, development of metacognitive self-regulation, evidence-based practice, and personalization. The developed psychocorrectional program “Unbreakability” involved the use of neuropsychologically oriented techniques, mindfulness practices, training of cognitive flexibility, metacognitive self-regulation, and neurofeedback as an auxiliary tool for intensifying post-burnout growth. The effectiveness of the program was tested in a quasi-experimental pre-post design. The approbation results showed a decrease in the integral burnout index and 12 individual components of the syndrome, reduction of distress and somatization, positive restructuring of cognitive self-regulation, a decrease in the Stress index, and an increase in alpha activity. Subjectively, the participants reported improved well-being, emotional stabilization, a sense of control, and meaning-related coherence of volunteer activity. The scientific novelty of the obtained results lies in the fact that, for the first time, specific changes in the metacognitive sphere of volunteers during the development of emotional burnout syndrome were identified; neuropsychological markers of burnout, including specific EEG patterns and cognitive dysfunctions, were established; the model of “destabilized relaxation” as an indicator of impaired restorative capacity of the nervous system was substantiated; and an integrative multicomponent model of psychocorrection of emotional burnout syndrome in volunteers was proposed. Scientific understanding of emotional burnout in volunteers as a multilevel biopsychosocial phenomenon, the neuropsychological mechanisms of its formation, and the role of the sociocultural and cultural-historical context of wartime volunteering was deepened. Theoretical provisions concerning post-burnout growth, comprehensive diagnosis, early identification of risk groups, and the use of EEG neurofeedback as an auxiliary means of psychological correction were further developed. The theoretical significance of the study lies in the theoretical and methodological substantiation of the integration of clinical-psychological, neuropsychological, biopsychosocial, and existential-meaning approaches to explaining emotional burnout syndrome in volunteers. The mechanisms of burnout formation associated with functional imbalance of brain systems, metacognitive exhaustion, narrowing of the cognitive repertoire, chronic distress, and impaired self-regulation are revealed. The conceptual foundations of comprehensive diagnosis, prevention, psychocorrection, and multidisciplinary support for volunteers with different levels of burnout risk are substantiated. The practical significance of the research results lies in the possibility of using them for early identification, prevention, and psychological support of volunteers experiencing chronic stress exposure. The proposed combination of clinical-psychological diagnosis, 13 psychodiagnostic methods, and EEG monitoring increases the objectivity of assessing volunteers’ psychofunctional state. The developed and tested program “Unbreakability” can be implemented in the practice of psychologists, clinical psychologists, mental health professionals, social workers, and coordinators of volunteer programs to restore personal resources, strengthen emotional self-regulation, reduce distress, and support value-meaning coherence of volunteer activity.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Keywords:	emotional state, anxiety, psychological correction, life task, volunteer activity, burnout, war, emotional burnout, trauma, stress, adaptation, resilience, psychological resources, post-traumatic stress disorder.
Subjects:	Science and knowledge. Organization. Computer science. Information. Documentation. Librarianship. Institutions. Publications > 1 Philosophy. Psychology Science and knowledge. Organization. Computer science. Information. Documentation. Librarianship. Institutions. Publications > 6 Applied Sciences. Medicine. Technology > 61 Medical sciences
Divisions:	Institute of Psychology after N.Kostiuk > Synytsya department of education
Depositing User:	Віталій Олегович Павлєєв
Date Deposited:	19 Jun 2026 07:58
Last Modified:	19 Jun 2026 07:58
URI:	https://lib.iitta.gov.ua/id/eprint/749604

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