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. 2022 Mar 24;19(7):3865. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19073865

Table 1.

Overview of the results of the systematic review regarding design, country, sample, assessment instruments, and associations between flow and burnout symptoms.

Source Design Country Sample Assessment Instrument Associations between Flow and Burnout Symptoms
Flow Experience Burnout Symptoms
Bakker & Geurts, 2004 [77] C-S Netherlands

  • N = 1090 (n1 = 507; n2 = 202; n3 = 381)

  • Sex
    • ○
      Female: 419 (n1 = 173; n2 = 126; n3 = 120)
    • ○
      Male: 671 (n1 = 334; n2 = 76; n3 = 261)
  • Age
    • ○
      n1 = 35 (SD = 9.5)
    • ○
      n2 = 40 (SD = 9.0)
    • ○
      n3 = 40 (SD = 10.4)
  • Context
    • ○
      Pension fund company (n1)
    • ○
      Occupational health services company (n2)
    • ○
      Insurance company (n3)
  • UWES [78]
    • ○
      AB (6 items)
  • MBI-GS [79]
    • ○
      EE (5 items)
 Correlation
r(AB; EE) = −0.16 ***
Baumgarten et al., 2020 [80] C-S France

  • N = 243

  • Sex
    • ○
      Female: 64
    • ○
      Male: 179
  • Age
    • ○
      NR
  • Context
    • ○
      residents (n = 141)

    neurosurgeons (n = 102)

 Stepwise multiple regression
  • EE (Y)
    • ○
      AB (X): β = 0.13 *
    • ○
      EN (X): β = −0.30 ***
    • ○
      IM (X): n.s.
  • CY (Y)
    • ○
      AB (X): n.s.
    • ○
      EN (X): β = −0.25 ***
    • ○
      IM (X): n.s.
  • RPA (Y)
    • ○
      AB (X): n.s.
    • ○
      EN (X): β = −0.19 **
    • ○
      IM (X): n.s.
Demerouti et al., 2012 [82] LI
(diary study—4 days)		 Germany and Netherlands

  • N = 83

  • Sex
    • ○
      Female: 49
    • ○
      Male: 34
  • Age
    • ○
      41.86 (SD = 13.80)
  • Context
    • ○
      Employees from 13 different organizations
  • WOLF [81,83]
    • ○
      3 items per subscale
  • MBI-GS [79]
    • ○
      General EE (5 items)
    • ○
      EE at work/at bedtime (3 adapted items)
 Correlation
r(AB; general EE) = −0.12 *
r(AB; EE at work)= −0.14 *
r(AB; EE at bedtime) = −0.05
r(EN; general EE) = −0.43 **
r(EN; EE at work)= −0.44 **
r(EN; EE at bedtime) = −0.37 **
r(IM; general EE) = −0.13 *
r(IM; EE at work)= −0.10
r(IM; EE at bedtime) = −0.03
Multilevel estimates
  • EE at work (Y)
    • ○
      AB (X): Estimate = −0.07
    • ○
      EN (X): Estimate = −0.19 *
    • ○
      IM (X): Estimate = −0.07
  • EE at bedtime (Y)
    • ○
      AB (X): Estimate = −0.05
    • ○
      EN (X): Estimate = −0.17 *
    • ○
      IM (X): Estimate = −0.13
Kasa & Hassan, 2015 a [84] C-S Malaysia

  • N = 293

  • Sex
    • ○
      Female: 99
    • ○
      Male: 194
  • Age
    • ○
      majority (52.6%) between 20 and 29
  • Context
    • ○
      Hotel employees
  • OLBI [85]
    • ○
      adapted version
 Correlation
r(flow, burnout symptoms): n.s.
Kasa & Hassan, 2016 [86] C-S Malaysia

  • N = 317

  • Sex
    • ○
      Female: 166
    • ○
      Male: 151
  • Age
    • ○
      majority (70.7%) between 18 and 29
  • Context
    • ○
      Hotel employees
  • OLBI [85]
    • ○
      adapted version
 Structural model

  • flow and burnout symptoms: β = 1.46 *
Kasa & Hassan, 2019a [87] C-S Malaysia

  • N = 293

  • Sex
    • ○
      Female: 99
    • ○
      Male: 194
  • Age
    • ○
      21–29 (53%)
    • ○
      30–39 (30%)
    • ○
      40–49 (16%)
  • Context
    • ○
      Hotel employees
 Regression
  • flow (Y)
    • ○
      burnout symptoms (X): β = 0.08
Lavigne et al., 2012 [89] (Study 1) C-S Canada

  • N = 113

  • Sex
    • ○
      Female: 80
    • ○
      Male: 33
  • Age
    • ○
      29.43 (SD = 4.04)
  • Context
    • ○
      Québec’s public service association
  • Flow experience at work scale [90]
    • ○
      adapted from Jackson & Marsh [91]

  • MBI—French version [92]

 Correlation
r(flow; EE) = −0.10
r(flow; CY)= −0.44 ***
r(flow; RPA) = −0.60 ***
Lavigne et al., 2012 [89] (Study 2) LI
(T1 and after 6 months T2)		 Canada

  • N = 325

  • Sex
    • ○
      Female: 172
    • ○
      Male: 153
  • Age
    • ○
      44.8 (SD = 9.64)
  • Context
    • ○
      Professionals for the Québec government
  • Flow experience at work scale [90]
    • ○
      adapted from Jackson & Marsh [91]

  • MBI—French version [92]

 Correlation
r(flow (t1); EE (t1)) = −0.42 ***
r(flow (t1); EE (t2)) = −0.40 ***
r(flow (t1); CY (t1)) = −0.53 ***
r(flow (t1); CY (t2)) = −0.54 ***
r(flow (t1); RPA (t1)) = −0.66 ***
r(flow (t1); RPA (t2)) = −0.51 ***
r(flow (t2); EE (t1)) = −0.39 ***
r(flow (t2); EE (t2)) = −0.46 ***
r(flow (t2); CY (t1)) = −0.52 ***
r(flow (t2); CY (t2)) = − 0.61 ***
r(flow (t2); RPA (t1)) = −0.52 ***
r(flow (t2); RPA (t2)) = −0.63 ***
Ljubin-Golub et al., 2020 [93] C-S Croatia

  • N = 213

  • Sex
    • ○
      Female: 149
    • ○
      Male: 63
    • ○
      1 data for gender missing
  • Age
    • ○
      20.32 (SD = 2.16)
  • Context
    • ○
      Students

  • WOLF-S [94]
  • OLBI-S [70,85]
    • ○
      adapted Croatian Version
 Correlation
r(AB; burnout symptoms) = −0.53 **
r(EN; burnout symptoms) = −0.60 **
r(IM; burnout symptoms) = −0.50 **
Mäkikangas et al., 2010 [95] LI (T1, T2, T3 with 6 weeks in between) Netherlands

  • N = 335

  • Sex
    • ○
      Female: 235
    • ○
      Male: 100
  • Age
    • ○
      30 (SD = 6.0)
  • Context
    • ○
      Employees of an employment agency
  • MBI-GS [79]
    • ○
      Dutch version
    • ○
      EE (5 items)
 Correlation
r(flow (t1); EE) = −0.34 ***
r(flow (t2); EE) = −0.34 ***
r(flow (t3); EE) = −0.32 ***
Martínez-Zaragoza et al., 2014 [96] C-S Spain

  • N = 127

  • Sex
    • ○
      Female: 73
    • ○
      Male: 54
  • Age
    • ○
      42.41 (SD = 9.41)
  • Context
    • ○
      Physicians

  • Flow Trait Scale-2 [91] in combination with PA

Spanish adaption
  • MBI-GS [79]
    • ○
      translated and adapted by Salanova et al. [97]
 Correlation
r(flow + PA; burnout symptoms) = −0.08
Martínez-Zaragoza et al., 2017 [98] C-S Spain

  • N = 282

  • Sex
    • ○
      Female: 241
    • ○
      Male: 41
  • Age
    • ○
      36.49 (SD = 8.95)
  • Context
    • ○
      Registered nurses
  • Flow Trait Scale-2 [91]
    • ○
      Spanish adaption
  • MBI-GS [79]
    • ○
      translated and adapted by Salanova et al. [97]
 Correlation
r(flow; EE) = −0.05
r(flow, CY) = −0.08
r(flow; RPA) = −0.32 **
Mosing et al., 2018 [99] C-S Sweden

  • N = 10.120

  • Sex: NR

  • Age
    • ○
      40.7 (SD = 7.75)
  • Context
    • ○
      Swedish Twin Registry
  • MBI-GS [79]
    • ○
      EE (5 items)
 Correlation
r(flow-work; EE) = −0.36 ***
r(flow-maintenance, EE) = −0.24 ***
r(flow-leisure; EE) = −0.23 ***
r(flow-global; EE) = −0.34 ***
r(flow-music; EE) = −0.03
Rodríguez-Sánchez et al., 2011 [101] LI (ESM—14 days) Netherlands

  • N = 100 (40 healthy vs. 60 burned-out)

  • Sex
    • ○
      Female: 59 (nhealthy = 26; nburned-out = 33)
    • ○
      Male: 41 (nhealthy = 14; nburned-out = 27)
  • Age
    • ○
      Healthy: 41.8 (SD = 10.0)
    • ○
      Burned-Out: 42.9 (SD = 8.8)
  • Context
    • ○
      Healthy: different occupational groups
    • ○
      Burned-out: Dutch centers of expertise in burnout treatment
  • UWES [78]
    • ○
      2 Items

  • MBI-GS—Dutch version [102]

 Correlation
r(flow; group) = −0.29 ** (person-level)
r(AB; group) = −0.23 * (person-level)
r(EN; group) = −0.30 ** (person-level)
r(flow; group) = −0.13 **(time level)
r(AB; group) = −0.11 ** (time level)
r(EN; group) = −0.14 ** (time level)
Anova healthy vs. burned-out
flow: t = 8.70, p < 0.01
AB: t = 5.68, p < 0.05
EN: t = 9.62, p < 0.05
Multilevel model
  • flow (Y)
    • ○
      Group (X): Estimate = −0.36 **
  • AB (Y)
    • ○
      Group (X): Estimate = −0.26 *
  • EN (Y)
    • ○
      Group (X): Estimate = −0.45 ***
Schiefele et al., 2013 [103] C-S Germany

  • N = 281

  • Sex
    • ○
      Female: 197
    • ○
      Male: 80
    • ○
      4 data for gender missing
  • Age
    • ○
      47.60 (SD = 9.82)
  • Context
    • ○
      Teachers at different school forms

  • Combination of Flow-Short-Scale [104] and scale by Schiefele and Roussakis [105]

  • MBI—German version [106]

 Correlation
rs(flow; EE) = −0.14 *
rs(flow; CY) = −0.24 **
rs(flow; RPA) = −0.24 **
Xanthopoulou et al., 2018 [107] LI (diary study—5 days) Netherlands and Poland

  • N = 50

  • Sex
    • ○
      Female: 46
    • ○
      Male: 4
  • Age
    • ○
      44 (SD = 11.8)
  • Context
    • ○
      Various emotionally demanding, occupational contexts
  • WOLF [81]
    • ○
      10 items
    • ○
      adapted version
  • MBI-GS [79]
    • ○
      EE (4 items)
 Correlation
r(flow; EE) = −0.52 ** (person-level)
r(flow; EE) = −0.43 ** (day-level)
Xie et al., 2019 [108] C-S China

  • N = 1977

  • Sex
    • ○
      Female: 1407
    • ○
      Male: 570
  • Age
    • ○
      19.90 (SD = 1.67)
  • Context
    • ○
      Medical students
  • WOLF [81]
    • ○
      modified Chinese version
  • MBI-ES [76]
    • ○
      Chinese version
Correlation
r(flow; burnout symptoms)= −0.59 **
Zito et al., 2016 [109] C-S Italy

  • N = 279

  • Sex
    • ○
      Female = 201
    • ○
      Male = 78
  • Age
    • ○
      42 (SD = 8.56)
  • Context
    • ○
      Nurses
  • WOLF [81]
    • ○
      translated by Colombo et al., [110]
  • OLBI [85]
    • ○
      EX (8 items)
 Correlation
r(flow; EX) = −0.54 **

Note. C-S = cross-sectional, LI = longitudinal, ESM = Experience Sampling Method, N = sample size, SD = Standard deviation, WOLF = Work-related Flow Inventory, WOLF-S = WOLF-Study Questionnaire, UWES = Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, SFPQ = Swedish Flow Proneness Questionnaire, MBI = Maslach Burnout Inventory, MBI-GS = Maslach Burnout Inventory—General Survey, MBI-ES = Maslach Burnout Inventory—Educators’ Survey, OLBI = Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, OLBI-S = Oldenburg Burnout Inventory –College Students, EE = emotional exhaustion, CY = cynicism, RPA = reduced personal accomplishment, PA = personal accomplishment, EX = exhaustion, AB = absorption, EN = enjoyment, IM = intrinsic motivation, T = timepoint, X = independent variable, Y = dependent variable, n.s. = not significant (statistical parameters not given), NR = not reported. * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001. For reasons of clarity and comprehensibility, the labels of the various subscales were harmonized and reversed recoded where appropriate. a The studies may have been based on the same data.