Attachment anxiety, reflective functioning and well‐being as predictors of burn‐out and psychological distress among psychotherapists: A longitudinal study.

Objective: This study aims to longitudinally investigate the effects of individual's factors on subsequent burn‐out/psychological distress in a sample of mental health practitioners, testing if higher attachment anxiety and avoidance and lower reflective functioning (i.e., certainty and uncertainty of mental states) and well‐being at baseline may lead to a greater psychological distress and burn‐out 1 year later. Methods: The sample consisted of 40 experienced psychotherapists (females: 72.5%; mean age: 47.40 ± 9.48 years) who completed a battery of questionnaires at baseline and 1 year later. Statistical analyses were conducted with Bayesian multiple linear regressions. Results: Greater attachment anxiety and certainty about mental states and lower individual's well‐being at baseline predicted greater burn‐out 1 year later. Similarly, greater attachment anxiety and lower individual's well‐being at baseline predicted psychological distress at 1 year follow‐up. Of note, uncertainty of mental states and avoidant attachment were not associated with outcomes. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the levels of burn‐out and psychological distress among psychotherapists may be alleviated with interventions targeting attachment insecurity, specific aspects of reflective functioning (i.e., certainty about mental states) and well‐being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]