Mitigando el Burnout Profesional: apoyo sociopsicológico
a las profesiones centradas en el ser humano
Alyona Donika1
, Elena Goverdovskaya2
, Fatima Kirgueva3
,
Raisa Ekhaeva4
, Sofia Dzidzoeva5
1 Universidad Médica Estatal de Volgogrado, Volgogrado, Rusia.
E-mail: addonika@yandex.ru; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3905-5538.
2 Universidad Médica Estatal de Volgogrado, Volgogrado, Rusia.
E-mail: elena_goverdovskaya@mail.ru; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5987-3277.
3 Universidad Estatal de Osetia del Norte lleva el nombre de KL Khetagurov, Vladikavkaz, Rusia.
E-mail: kusu@yandex.ru; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2603-1484.
4 Universidad Estatal de Chechenia. Grozny, Rusia.
E-mail: raisa.exaeva.65@mail.ru; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4417-2635.
5Universidad Estatal de Osetia del Norte lleva el nombre de KL Khetagurov.
E-mail: sofia62@mail.ru; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7909-9573.
Resumen. El rápido desarrollo de los servicios educativos y médicos hace necesaria
la modernización de las instituciones sociales de la educación y la sanidad para hacer
frente a los retos de la transformación digital. Las profesiones del tipo «persona a perso-
na» se enfrentan a elevadas exigencias en cuanto a cualidades comunicativas, sensibilidad
emocional y empatía, lo que conlleva el impacto de factores de estrés. El objetivo de este
estudio era identificar los factores que influyen en la resistencia al estrés de los especialis-
tas y crear una base científica para desarrollar programas eficaces de apoyo psicológico y
desarrollo profesional para los representantes de las profesiones de ayuda. El estudio in-
cluyó un análisis de bases de datos nacionales e internacionales. La base empírica incluía
materiales de un estudio sobre la prevalencia y la gravedad del agotamiento profesional
entre los médicos utilizando una metodología adaptada de V. Boyko, que permite de-
terminar la etapa de desarrollo y el nivel de formación de los principales síntomas del
agotamiento. Los datos confirmaron la alta prevalencia del burnout profesional entre los
profesionales de ayuda. El diagnóstico de los síntomas primarios reveló mecanismos de
compensación del estrés profesional, como el distanciamiento emocional y la respuesta
selectiva, que pueden considerarse deformaciones profesionales. Las medidas preventivas
deben centrarse en el desarrollo de la resistencia personal al estrés. Las técnicas de adap-
tación que implican distanciamiento emocional pueden reducir la empatía y la eficacia
comunicativa, contradiciendo las expectativas de la sociedad.
Palabras clave: grupos profesionales, entorno educativo, médicos, profesores, agotamiento
profesional, técnicas de adaptación.
Recibido: 31/05/2024 ~ Aceptado: 28/09/2024
INTERACCIÓN Y PERSPECTIVA
Revista de Trabajo Social
ISSN 2244-808X ~ Dep. Legal pp 201002Z43506
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14031909
Vol. 15 (1): 292 - 303 pp, 2025

Mitigando el Burnout Profesional: apoyo sociopsicológico a las profesiones centradas en el ser humano 293Vol. 15(1) enero-marzo 2025/ 292 - 303
Mitigating Professional Burnout: socio-psychological
support for human-centered professions
Abstract. The rapid development of the educational and medical services neces-
sitates the modernization of social institutions in education and healthcare to meet the
challenges of digital transformation. Professions of the “person-to-person” type face
high demands regarding communicative qualities, emotional sensitivity, and empathy,
which leads to the impact of stress factors. The aim of this study was to identify fac-
tors influencing the stress resistance of specialists and to create a scientific basis for
developing effective psychological support and professional development programs for
representatives of helping professions. The study involved an analysis of national and
international databases. The empirical base included materials from a study on the
prevalence and severity of professional burnout among doctors using an adapted meth-
odology by V. Boyko, which allows determining the stage of development and the level
of formation of major burnout symptoms. The data confirmed the high prevalence of
professional burnout among helping professionals. Diagnosis of primary symptoms
revealed compensation mechanisms for professional stress, such as emotional detach-
ment and selective response, which may be considered professional deformations.
Preventive measures should focus on developing personal stress resistance. Adaptive
techniques involving emotional detachment can reduce empathy and communication
effectiveness, contradicting societal expectations.
Key words: professional groups, educational environment, doctors, teachers, professional
burnout, adaptive techniques.
INTRODUCTION
The digital transformation of all social spheres, undoubtedly a progressive trend in the current
stage of societal development, has significantly impacted the institution of professions. This trans-
formation has changed and updated the structure of professional groups, leading to the inevitable
convergence of professional directions and the emergence of new types of professional activities
(e.g., medical engineer, bioethicist, IT manager, IT assistant, virtual assistant). The conditions of the
COVID-19 pandemic have posed unprecedented challenges to the social institutions of healthcare
and education, imperatively shifting communications to the virtual field. This shift has necessitated
the development of new competencies among professionals and the demand for knowledge in in-
terdisciplinary fields.
According to statistical monitoring and social forecasts, activities related to information trans-
mission and storage, calculation, and billing operations are disappearing from the professional field
(Abdullaev et al., 2023). Meanwhile, professions involving communication in the “person-to-per-
son” system—such as doctors, educators, and social workers—retain their positions and, accord-
ing to labor market experts, will be particularly in demand in the near future. A paradoxical social
practice has emerged: despite high demand and staffing shortages in these professions, their social
prestige remains low.

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a “heroization” of doctors, who were on the
“front line,” as noted by the World Health Organization. At the same time, the most discussed nega-
tive cases of professional practice in the media are related to the activities of doctors and educators.
In such conditions, the level of stress in human-centered professions is rapidly increasing, posing a
threat not only to the specialists themselves—whose departure from the profession due to emotional
and psychosomatic consequences will further exacerbate staffing shortages in these fields—but also
to national security. This is because the institutions of healthcare and education determine the re-
production of the country’s labor, creative, and defense potential.
The influence of professional stress, largely caused by the high frequency of interpersonal communi-
cations in helping professions, leads to the development of adaptive psychological self-defense mechanisms
(Zaitseva & Krikunov, 2022). The specifics of these mechanisms complement the sociocultural identity of
professionals in these fields, determining the overall approach to researching this problem.
LITERATURE REVIEW
According to modern concepts, one of the most common manifestations of the consequences
of professional stress is the syndrome of professional/emotional burnout. Additionally, researchers
note masked and somatic forms. A typical masked form of professional stress, especially among
hyper-socialized or neurasthenic personalities, is “workaholism/perfectionism,” where professional
activity replaces other life spheres, leading to a loss of emotional satisfaction from other communi-
cations and areas of life (cultural, leisure, family, etc.). This is caused by attempts to compensate for
reduced satisfaction with work results, perceived by professionals as a consequence of their insuf-
ficient efforts and capabilities.
Professional stress can also take somatic forms, including not only functional disorders (sleep,
eating behavior, etc.) but also diseases of the cardiovascular, digestive, and respiratory systems, neu-
rodermatitis, and others. The psychosomatic consequences of professional stress pose a threat to the
professional’s health and undoubtedly reduce their effectiveness, creating a chain reaction of com-
municative problems for human-centered professions.
It is also important to note other, less common but more socially dangerous forms of profes-
sional stress, such as the use of medications and alcohol, where psychoactive substances are used as
substitute “therapy.”
The primary manifestation of professional stress, according to most researchers, is professional
burnout syndrome, first described as a phenomenon of mental exhaustion by H.J. Freudenberger
(1974) (“burn-out”), characterized by him as “the exhaustion of energy among professionals in the
social assistance sphere when they feel emotionally overwhelmed by the problems of others.” Ini-
tially, the syndrome of mental (emotional) exhaustion was described among psychiatric institution
workers as a phenomenon of disillusionment, demoralization, and extreme fatigue. In the 1980s,
Christina Maslach (1982) metaphorically called it “the cost of caring,” characteristic of so-called
“altruistic” professions: social workers, nurses, doctors, educators, psychologists.
Professional burnout syndrome is described as a state of gradual loss of emotional, cognitive,
and physical energy, manifested in symptoms of exhaustion, fatigue, personal detachment, and re-
duced job satisfaction (Vodopyanova & Starchenkova). In 1981, A. Morrow proposed a metaphori-
cal image of professional burnout syndrome – “the smell of burning psychological wiring.”

Mitigando el Burnout Profesional: apoyo sociopsicológico a las profesiones centradas en el ser humano 295Vol. 15(1) enero-marzo 2025/ 292 - 303
The social danger of professional burnout syndrome is due to emotional exhaustion, which
manifests as a feeling of emotional emptiness and fatigue, as well as depersonalization and reduced
professional achievements, leading to incompetence in their professional field (Orel, 2001; Zaitseva
& Krikunov, 2022).
At the core of professional burnout syndrome is personal deformation due to emotionally dif-
ficult relationships in the “person-to-person” system. Therefore, professional burnout most often
develops among representatives of “communicative” professions - doctors, nurses, social workers,
among whom, according to various researchers, professional burnout syndrome is registered in 60-
90% of cases (Antipina & Alekseeva, 2017; Skugavetskaya, 2007; Tretyakova, 2019; Poroyskiy,
2022). The high prevalence of professional burnout syndrome among these professional groups in-
dicates the need for developing a system of preventive measures to prevent burnout. The importance
of such measures also underscores the need to study the socio-psychological factors of stress resis-
tance, which will allow determining directions for effective psychological and pedagogical support.
The development and implementation of preventive measures aimed at reducing the risk of
professional burnout will help maintain the psychological health of specialists, increase their work
efficiency, and improve the quality of the services they provide. The purpose of this study was to
identify factors influencing specialists’ stress resistance and create a scientific basis for the justifica-
tion and implementation of effective programs of psychological support and professional develop-
ment for representatives of helping professions.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was conducted in three stages. The first stage involved a comparative analysis of Rus-
sian scientific publication databases (RSCI, NEB, CyberLeninka) and international open-access da-
tabases. Publications from the CyberLeninka database were analyzed using keywords “professions,”
“professional stress,” “professional destructions,” “psychological and pedagogical support,” followed
by content analysis in the context of research objectives.
The second stage involved diagnosing the prevalence and severity of professional burnout
among a model group of doctors using the V. Boyko methodology adapted for professional groups.
The model group included 154 doctors of various specialties (mean age 40.2 ± 17 years), categorized
by the level of neuro-emotional tension in their professions: surgeons, therapists, and non-medical
specialists (radiologists, epidemiologists, hygienists).
To assess the readiness of future representatives of the professional group for professional stress,
at the third stage a sociological survey was conducted among graduates of a pedagogical university
(N=182, average age of respondents 20.2±1.9 years).
The confidentiality and autonomy norms of respondents were respected.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The social mechanism of stressfulness in communications for the professions under consider-
ation was most accurately described in the fundamental works of E. Hughes. In his article “Social
Role and the Division of Labor” (1971), E. Hughes concludes that professions related to the provi-
sion of services are doomed to “ambiguities”: “A patient in a psychiatric hospital is often convinced

296 Donika, Goverdovskaya, Kirgueva, Ekhaeva, DzidzoevaInteracción y Perspectiva. R evista de Trabajo S ocial V ol. 1 5 ( 1 ) : 2 0 2 5
that the things done to him are done for someone else; and while such thoughts may be inherent to
the nature of his illness, he often may be right. Even a person suffering from tuberculosis, although
he knows he is ill and willingly undergoes treatment, believes that many of the rules of society and
the hospital and even some elements of the treatment are meant for him but not for his benefit.
Even in the case of short-term illnesses, the patient may find humiliation in some things done, sup-
posedly for his recovery. At the very least, he may think that they are done for the convenience of
those who work in the hospital, not for his comfort.” According to the author, the dialectical genesis
of the non-complimentary view of benefit or harm as a result of social interaction among social ac-
tors is that “the opposite of service is disservice and ... the boundary between them is thin, unclear,
and shifting” (Hughes, 1971, p. 304).
E. Hughes highlights the particular vulnerability of representatives of human services profes-
sions in this context: “In many things that people do for each other, for someone can easily be re-
placed with to someone by a slight overzeal or change of mood. Anywhere where some measure of
power, allowing to discipline with language and force, is an essential element of the task assigned to
a person, there may be a temptation to abuse it and even take pleasure from it, regardless of whether
it is a teacher, a psychiatric hospital orderly, or a prison guard. The danger of serious distortion of
relationships and functions within the formal position hovers everywhere people go or are sent for
help or correction: in the school classroom, clinic, operating room, confessional, funeral home; all
of them share this trait” (Hughes, 1971, p. 345). E. Hughes (1971, p. 250). places great importance
on the timely diagnosis of these phenomena, which he calls “elusive distortions of role or function,”
directly linking them to “significant correlates in personalities and situations”.
E. Hughes essentially defines the inevitable stressfulness of institutional reforms for representa-
tives of human services professions: “... the professional is concerned ... with divergent ideas about
what his job really is or should be, what mandate he has been given by the public, what can be done
and by what means, as well as what role people in each position should play and what duties or
rewards they deserve. Compared to the limitations, resistances, or distortions of goal, directives, and
efforts in school, psychiatric hospital, social service, or prison, well-studied limitations of produc-
tivity in a factory are simplicity itself. In a factory, there is at least a clear consensus about what the
produced object should be. In institutions where something is done for people or to people, there
is no such consensus” (Hughes, 1971, p. 285). This phenomenon is currently intensified by the
uncertainties associated with the digital transformation of social spheres, creating unprecedented
challenges of virtual communication for professionals.
Furthermore, E. Hughes notes the inevitability of institutional influence on the stressfulness of
human-centered professions: “... the basic attitude ... is partly reality, partly a stereotype, and partly
an ideal nostalgically attributed to a better past or demanded in a better future. Probably the most
common complaint of people in professions performing services for each other is the lament that
they are hindered from doing their job as it should be done. Someone interferes with this basic at-
titude ... Psychiatrists would do their job better if not for families, dumb officials, and poorly trained
orderlies. Nurses would better care for patients if not for administrative duties and the carelessness
of aides and other staff ... Part of the interventions complained about are simply institutional. The
institutional matrix in which something is done for people undoubtedly becomes more complex in
the most professional areas ...” (Hughes, 1971, p. 309-310).
Thus, the stressfulness for human-centered professions is inevitable, which determines the
strategy of socio-psychological support for these professions rather than combating the factors of

Mitigando el Burnout Profesional: apoyo sociopsicológico a las profesiones centradas en el ser humano 297Vol. 15(1) enero-marzo 2025/ 292 - 303
professional stress themselves. At the same time, modern studies also note management-associated
professional stressors: high workload, lack of social support from management, high uncertainty in
the evaluation of performed work, monotonous and unpromising activities (Abolokin, 2020).
Despite the multifactorial etiology of professional stress, including its manifestation as profes-
sional burnout syndrome, most researchers consider psychological fatigue, where internal or exter-
nal demands dominate personal resources, as the basic cause. Specifically, studies on professional
burnout syndrome among medical specialists using qualitative sociological research have shown that
one of the causes of its development is an overestimation of their professional and personal capabili-
ties (Lengle, 2008).
The classic classification of stressors, based on the work of H. Selye, divides stress factors into
social, psychological, and biological categories. Professional stressors are commonly divided into
three groups based on their specificity for a given profession:
• Non-specific stressors;
• General-specific stressors, characteristic of related professional groups (such as groups of
doctors, teachers, social workers);
• Specific stressors, characteristic of a particular profession or specialty (e.g., for doctors of
different specializations, teachers depending on the subject they teach).
The analysis of published data allows for the identification of environmental and internal
groups of professional stressors for helping professions. Environmental stressors can be either mi-
crosocial (e.g., role conflicts within the team) or macrosocial (economic, social, legal insecurity of
professional groups). Internal stressors are largely determined by the personal characteristics of the
professional, among which psychologists note emotional lability, anxiety states, personal rigidity
(motivational), and low level of communicative abilities. Additionally, several authors believe that
a high level of somatic health of the professional determines their higher resistance to professional
stress (Orel, 2005).
Of particular interest is that manifestations of professional burnout syndrome can be viewed as
a protective reaction - an acquired stereotype that allows for the economical use of energy resources.
At the same time, considering that the consequences of professional stress/burnout are socially sig-
nificant destructions, not only psychosomatic but also psychological (cognitive, emotional, motiva-
tional), the adaptive component of professional burnout is called into question.
The empirical base of our work consisted of the results of a study of a model group of doctors
using the V.V. Boyko methodology adapted to the professional field. This methodology allows deter-
mining the stage of development of phases and the level of formation of the main symptoms of pro-
fessional burnout: in the 1st phase (“tension”) - symptoms of “experiencing traumatic situations,”
“dissatisfaction with oneself,” “drivenness,” “anxiety and depression”; in the 2nd phase (“resistance”)
- symptoms of “inadequate selective response,” “emotional and moral disorientation,” “expansion
of the sphere of emotional savings,” and “reduction of professional emotions”; in the 3rd phase
(“exhaustion”) - symptoms of “emotional deficit,” “emotional detachment,” “personal detachment”
(depersonalization), and psychosomatic and psycho-vegetative disorders (Boyko, 2012, p.56).
The analysis of identified symptoms for the entire model group of doctors in the tension phase
showed their presence in every fifth doctor at the formation stage (Figure 1).

298 Donika, Goverdovskaya, Kirgueva, Ekhaeva, DzidzoevaInteracción y Perspectiva. R evista de Trabajo S ocial V ol. 1 5 ( 1 ) : 2 0 2 5
It is noteworthy that among the fully formed symptoms of the tension phase, the symptom
“experiencing traumatic situations” predominates and is observed in every fifth doctor. Prognosti-
cally favorable is the almost complete absence of fully formed symptoms of “dissatisfaction with
oneself ” and “drivenness” in the studied group, which characterizes the inclusion of adaptive per-
sonal defense mechanisms.
The identification of such symptoms of the resistance phase as “reduction of professional du-
ties” in the formation stage in 30% of doctors and the fully formed symptom of “inadequate selec-
tive response” in 48% can be considered signs of professional deformation in doctors (Figure 2).
Figure 2
Prevalence of Resistance Phase Symptoms of Professional Burnout Syndrome in the Model
Group of Doctors (according to the V. Boyko methodology)
A - inadequate selective response; B - emotional and moral disorientation; C - expansion of the sphere
of emotional savings; D - reduction of professional duties. I - symptom at the formation stage, II - fully
formed symptom.
Figure 1
Prevalence of Tension Phase Symptoms of Professional Burnout Syndrome in the Model
Group of Doctors (according to the V. Boyko methodology)
A - experiencing traumatic situations, B - dissatisfaction with oneself, C - “drivenness”; D - anxiety and
depression. I - symptom at the formation stage, II - fully formed symptom.

Mitigando el Burnout Profesional: apoyo sociopsicológico a las profesiones centradas en el ser humano 299Vol. 15(1) enero-marzo 2025/ 292 - 303
Fully formed symptoms of the exhaustion phase, indicating a breakdown of compensation
mechanisms, are noted in no more than 12-14% of cases (Figure 3). No individuals with psycho-
somatic and psycho-vegetative disorders were identified in the studied group of doctors, allowing
for a generally high assessment of the stress resistance of the subjects. However, it is noteworthy
that in 25% of the subjects, these disorders are at the formation stage and require preventive mea-
sures. The identified fully formed symptoms of “personal detachment” and “emotional deficit” in
14-17% undoubtedly negatively affect communication, demonstrating a decrease in the empathy
of doctors.
Figure 3
Prevalence of Exhaustion Phase Symptoms of Professional Burnout Syndrome in the Model
Group of Doctors (according to the V. Boyko methodology)
A - emotional deficit; B - emotional detachment; C - personal detachment (depersonalization); D -
psychosomatic and psycho-vegetative disorders. I - symptom at the formation stage, II - fully formed
symptom.
The results obtained from doctors of different profiles indicate a significant prevalence of pro-
fessional burnout among the studied doctors, regardless of specialization. Fully formed symptoms
of professional burnout syndrome (PBS) were recorded in 82.6% of surgeons, 73.6% of therapists,
and 72.4% of non-medical profile doctors (p>0.05). The formed phase of PBS was noted in 37.2%
of surgeons, 31.8% of therapists, and 11.3% of non-medical profile doctors (p<0.01 between the
indicators of medical and non-medical profile doctors). Additionally, 30.4% of surgeons, 20.6%
of therapists, and 54.2% of non-medical profile doctors were diagnosed with PBS phases at the
formation stage (p<0.01 between the indicators of medical and non-medical profile doctors). The
complete absence of even initial symptoms of PBS was noted in a small number of doctors – 11.1%
of surgeons and 13.7% of therapists, p>0.05.
Thus, there is a dependence of the prevalence of resistance phase symptoms on the degree of
physical and emotional tension associated with medical activity - doctors in medical profiles have
significantly more frequent fully formed symptoms and the formed resistance phase (20.6% and
24.9%) than non-medical profile doctors (11.3%, p<0.01), half of whom register the resistance
phase only at the formation stage.

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Among the fully formed symptoms, the most frequently occurring is the symptom of “inad-
equate selective response,” characteristic of the resistance phase, noted in 48.6% of therapists. The
predominance of resistance phase symptoms indicates compensation for neuro-emotional burnout,
mechanisms of which are reflected by the dominant symptoms of this phase. The symptom of
“emotional deficit,” characteristic of the exhaustion phase, is registered in 17.5% of therapists, while
in the resistance phase, the symptom of “emotional and moral disorientation” is found in 16.6%.
The obtained data suggest that the compensatory mechanism for doctors is emotional detach-
ment. It is noteworthy that the reduction of empathy among doctors is a major cause of patient
dissatisfaction, leading to an increase in conflicts, which in turn raises the stressfulness of the profes-
sion, forming a kind of “vicious circle.”
The analysis of average values showed that the highest average values for all studied symptoms
were “inadequate selective response,” “experiencing traumatic situations,” and “reduction of profes-
sional duties” (p>0.05). The predominant symptom is “inadequate selective response,” followed by
“experiencing traumatic situations” and “reduction of professional duties.”
The predominance of resistance phase indicators in the manifestation of professional burnout
syndrome (based on average values and distribution analysis results) indicates the development of
defense mechanisms. However, characteristics of such symptoms as “reduction of professional du-
ties” and “emotional detachment” undoubtedly reduce the effectiveness of activities in the “person-
to-person” system, disrupting the sociocultural code structure of the professions under consider-
ation.
Thus, the research data confirm the high prevalence of professional burnout for human-cen-
tered type professions and demonstrate the significance of even minor manifestations for commu-
nication effectiveness. Differences in the obtained results for medical specialties of different profiles
underscore the importance of the degree of emotional tension associated with the activity profile for
the development of professional burnout symptoms.
As shown by the analysis of modern research and obtained empirical data, the prevalence and
manifestations of professional stress remain relevant and socially significant for helping professions.
Consequently, preventive and diagnostic measures discussed by researchers are undoubtedly practi-
cally demanded. Considering the explicit structure of professional stressors, preventive measures
should focus on developing professional stress resistance. At the same time, adaptive and stress-
protective techniques involve certain emotional detachment of professionals, thus accompanied by
reduced empathy of specialists, contradicting societal expectations and decreasing communication
effectiveness. Adaptive self-defense techniques based on emotional detachment can lead to profes-
sional deformations. Therefore, this issue requires an interdisciplinary approach within psychologi-
cal, sociological, and pedagogical sciences.
To assess the views of future specialists in human-centered professions on personal protec-
tion techniques against professional burnout, we conducted a pilot survey of graduates from a
pedagogical university. The survey results demonstrate the absence of a collective position on the
issue, indicating insufficient readiness of future professional group representatives for professional
stress and an undervaluation of the importance of neuro-emotional tension in professional activi-
ties (Figure 4).

Mitigando el Burnout Profesional: apoyo sociopsicológico a las profesiones centradas en el ser humano 301Vol. 15(1) enero-marzo 2025/ 292 - 303
Figure 4
Perceptions of Pedagogical University Graduates on the Prevention of Professional Burnout
1 - hobbies, 2 - family, 3 - close relationships; 4 - music; 5 - a team of like-minded people; 6 - alcohol.
Approximately one-third of future teachers believe that leisure activities (entertainment, social,
and cultural projects not related to work) are the best way to protect against emotional burnout.
The same number of respondents hope that family (each fifth respondent relies on family support)
and/or close relationships can protect them from professional stress. It is noteworthy that future
teachers are substituting environmental factors for the prospects of forming personal mechanisms
of protection against emotional burnout. This situation may be due to the insufficient awareness of
graduating students about the importance of professional stress for “person-to-person” professions
and measures for forming personal protection mechanisms.
We consider preventive measures within the educational environment of universities, where
social and psychological competencies of specialists are formed, to be the most promising. Psycho-
logical and pedagogical support represents a system of interconnected structural components united
by the educational goal of developing the individuality and personality of professionals. Pedagogical
work with students in this direction will allow them to adapt to new forms of professional activity,
high levels of informational load, and contribute to their mental and personal development, and the
formation of professional culture.
The system of psychological and pedagogical support should include several essential modules:
• Informational (providing students with knowledge about professional stress factors, profes-
sional destructions and their determinants, and consequences for individual development and
professional activity);
• Diagnostic (diagnosing individual psychological qualities during university training, their
development dynamics, and initial forms of stress manifestation);
• Didactic (teaching reflection, diagnostics, self-diagnostics, and preventive measures);
• Consultative (individual consultations, role-playing games with students);

302 Donika, Goverdovskaya, Kirgueva, Ekhaeva, DzidzoevaInteracción y Perspectiva. R evista de Trabajo S ocial V ol. 1 5 ( 1 ) : 2 0 2 5
• Preventive (personalized preventive work with students, forming protective behavior models
under the influence of professional stress, emotionally protected sociocultural code for social
workers professional groups);
• Corrective (correction at various stages of university training).
A necessary condition is a personalized approach to students, based on individual diagnostics
of personal qualities (communicative, organizational, motivational, etc.). Data on professionally
significant personal qualities of students can be systematized in the form of an individual passport,
creating a personal profile and forming a digital database of future specialists, ensuring confiden-
tiality of personal data. The information base of personal profiles will allow developing individual
psychological and pedagogical support programs throughout their professional careers, including
within continuous professional education.
CONCLUSION
Professional activity in the “person-to-person” system is characterized by intense interpersonal
communications, resulting in high neuro-emotional tension and constant professional stress. The
modern characterization of professional burnout syndrome, as the most common form of profes-
sional stress manifestation, defines it as a state of gradual loss of emotional, cognitive, and physical
energy, with the development of symptoms of exhaustion, fatigue, personal detachment, and de-
creased job satisfaction, which are essentially markers and descriptors of professional deformations
for human-centered professions. The data obtained on the predominant symptoms of PBS in the
model group of doctors demonstrate the mechanisms of professional stress compensation (psycho-
logical defense mechanisms) for the considered professional field, such as emotional detachment,
inadequate selective response, expansion of the sphere of emotional savings, which can also be con-
sidered professional deformations. Thus, the study results demonstrate the high practical demand
for developing a methodological system of socio-psychological support for professional activity in
the “person-to-person” system. We believe that the foundation of such a system should be a modular
structure of psychological and pedagogical support for professional development in the educational
environment, where professional competencies, communication skills, and professional culture be-
gin to form.
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