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Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment 2014:10 2307–2314
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH
open access to scientific and medical research
Open Access Full Text Article
http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S73038
Possible association between phantom vibration
syndrome and occupational burnout
Chao-Pen Chen
1
Chi-Cheng Wu
2
Li-Ren Chang
3
Yu-Hsuan Lin
4
1
Department of Education, National
Taiwan University Hospital,
2
Department of Family Medicine,
Min-Sheng General Hospital, Taoyuan
City,
3
Department of Psychiatry,
National Taiwan University,
College of Medicine,
4
Institute
of Brain Science, National Yang-Ming
University, Taipei, Taiwan
Background: Phantom vibration syndrome (PVS) and phantom ringing syndrome (PRS) occur
in many cell phone users. Previous studies have indicated an association between PVS/PRS and
job stress. The aim of this study was to determine if PVS/PRS were also associated with
occupational burnout.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 384 employees of a high-tech company in northern
Taiwan. They all completed a phantom vibration and ringing questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety
and Depression Scale, and the Chinese version of the Occupational Burnout Inventory.
Results: Significantly more women and people with at least a college education were in the
population with PRS and PVS, respectively. Anxiety and depression had no associations with
PVS/PRS. Higher scores for personal fatigue, job fatigue, and service target fatigue had an
independent impact on the presence of PVS, but only a higher score for service target fatigue
had an independent impact on the presence of PRS.
Conclusion: The independent association between work-related burnout and PVS/PRS suggests
that PVS/PRS may be a harbinger of mental stress or a component of the clinical burnout syn-
drome, and may even be a more convenient and accurate predictor of occupational burnout.
Keywords: phantom vibration syndrome, phantom ringing syndrome, occupational burnout
Introduction
Worldwide, an increasing number of people carry cell phones and utilize the vibration
mode to ensure silence in quiet areas. Extensive use of this mode may be associated
with the perception that the phone is vibrating when it is not, ie, the phantom vibration
syndrome (PVS). A 2010 study by Rothberg et al
1
found that 68% of the medical staff at
an acute care hospital had experienced PVS. Factors associated with PVS were occupation
(residents versus attending physicians), location of phone (breast pocket versus belt),
number of hours carried, and amount of time in vibrating mode. The phantom ringing
syndrome (PRS) has also been described, but occurs less frequently. PVS and PRS may
be “hallucinations” but they are not psychoses. A meta-analysis by Waters et al proposed
a general model that includes signal detection errors, executive and inhibition deficits,
a tapestry of expectations and memories, and state characteristics that influence how
these experiences are interpreted.
2
Nonpsychotic “hallucinations” have been described in
bereavement (deceased spouse)
3
and in post-traumatic stress disorder (re-experienced
trauma).
4
A previous study by Lin et al focused on PVS/PRS in medical interns, a defined
population of a similar age, lifestyle, and educational background exposed to a time-
limited stressor.
5
In an aroused and hypervigilant state, the interns anticipated an emer-
gency summons and misinterpreted sensory input from another source.
6
Lin et al
7
found
that 78% of medical interns experienced PVS while only 27% experienced PRS before
the stressful internship. Both PVS and PRS increased dramatically over the course of
Correspondence: Yu-Hsuan Lin
Institute of Brain Science, National
Yang-Ming University, 177 Chung Cheng
East Road, Section 2, Tamsui District,
New Taipei City, Taiwan 251
Tel +886 5578 9317
Fax +886 2 2809 7676
Email yuhsuanmed@gmail.com
Journal name: Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment
Article Designation: Original Research
Year: 2014
Volume: 10
Running head verso: Chen et al
Running head recto: Phantom vibration syndrome and occupational burnout
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S73038
This article was published in the following Dove Press journal:
Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment
4 December 2014
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the stressful internship (86.7 hours/week, 33.5 consecutive
work hours, and 10 on-call duties per month) and decreased
after it was completed. Interns with severe PVS or PRS
showed a significant increase in anxiety and depression
5
as well as reduced sympathetic modulation and persistent
inattention.
8
Neurodevelopmental changes associated with
the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis have previously been
investigated as mechanisms for auditory hallucinations among
children who have experienced trauma
9
and post-traumatic
stress disorder.
10,11
Our previous study also showed that the
heavy workload during an internship resulted in long-term
and short-term alternations in autonomic nervous system
modulation.
4,8,12
The increase in PVS and/or PRS appeared to
parallel the level of stress experienced by the interns.
Selye et al
13
had proposed the “general adaptation
syndrome” model to explain how the body responds to stress,
which include three phases of stress response, ie, alarm stage,
resistance stage, and exhaustion stage. “Occupational burnout”
is another response to stress and is generally described as
long-term exhaustion and disinterest in work. Kristensen et al
14
considered three domains, ie, personal burnout, work-related
burnout, and client-related burnout. Although anxiety, depres-
sion, and somatic symptoms are often associated with burn-
out, opinions differ as to whether these represent long-term
psychopathology
15
or environmental factors such as work
load
16
or lack of psychosocial safety.
17
Employment insecurity,
a perceived lack of workplace justice, loss of control, and lack
of support have also been suggested as contributors.
18,19
Most previous studies have addressed the epidemiology,
clinical characteristics, or social impact of burnout. The asso-
ciation of burnout with PVS/PRS has not been investigated
previously, especially in nonmedical professionals. The
exhaustion and fatigue associated with burnout may similarly
predispose individuals to misinterpretation of sensory input.
The present study examined the prevalence of PVS/PRS in
a cross section of employees in a high-tech company with
chronic stress and various degrees of occupational burnout,
manifesting primarily as fatigue.
Our aim was to evaluate the association of occupational
burnout with PVS and PRS in mobile phone users in the regu-
lar workplace. We hypothesized that PVS and PRS would be
related to burnout as would depression and anxiety.
Materials and methods
Participants
We recruited 391 employees of a high-tech company in
northern Taiwan. They were asked to complete self-reported
questionnaires in March 2011 and 384 (98%) returned
them. All the questionnaires were self-reported voluntarily;
however, not all subjects answered every question. Subjects
had been informed that participation in the survey was com-
pletely voluntary, confidentiality was assured, and that the
research ethics committee of the National Taiwan University
Hospital had approved this study prior to implementation.
Measurements
Phantom vibration and ringing questionnaire
To avoid biasing the respondents, the questionnaire simply
stated: “We are asking you to participate in a research study
survey about cell phones because, in your job, you carry one.”
The questions included whether the respondent had experienced
phantom vibration or phantom ringing during the previous
3-month period, as well as potential factors associated with
phantom vibration that had been documented in a previous
cross-sectional study,
1
ie, whether the device was used in
vibration or ringing mode and where it was worn. Those who
reported phantom vibration or phantom ringing were also
asked how bothersome these events were. These were both
scored on 5-point Likert scales (0–4) where any score over 0
was positive.
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) includes
seven items that form the anxiety subscale (HADS-anxiety)
and seven that form the depression scale (HADS-depression);
it does not include any somatic symptoms.
20
Each item was
scored on a 4-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating
a greater degree of anxiety or depression. Example items were
“I feel nervous and my nerves are on edge” and “I feel a lack
of interest in my appearance”. HADS has been widely used
in general populations other than hospital inpatients.
Occupational Burnout Inventory
The Chinese Occupational Burnout Inventory (OBI) is a self-
administered questionnaire with 21 items and was modified
from the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory.
12
The OBI includes
four subscales, ie, personal burnout, work-related burnout,
client-related burnout, and overcommitment to work. Each
item was scored on a 5-point Likert scale, with higher scores
indicating a greater degree of burnout. An example item was
“Are you exhausted in the morning at the thought of another
day of work?” The reliability and validity were fair.
21
Statistical analysis
Subjects were divided into PVS, PRS, and “PVS or PRS”
groups for analysis. Previous research
3
had shown that longer
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Phantom vibration syndrome and occupational burnout
work periods have a stronger association with both PVS and
PRS. These subjects have worked for several years, so a com-
bined group was included in the analysis. Continuous data
were presented as the mean ± standard deviation and com-
parisons between groups were performed using independent
two sample t-tests. Ordinal data were presented as the median
and interquartile range and comparisons between groups
were made using the nonparametric Mann–Whitney test.
Categorical data were presented as numbers (percentages)
and the associations among the categorical variables and the
PVS and PRS groups were calculated using Fisher’s Exact
test. Correlations between HADS and OBI were assessed
with Spearman’s correlation coefficients (ρ). Univariate
and multivariate logistic regression analyses were utilized to
investigate the associations of subject characteristics, HADS,
and OBI with PRS, PVS, and “PRS or PVS”. All statistical
assessments were two-tailed and P0.05 was considered
to be statistically significant. Statistical analyses were per-
formed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences
version 15.0 software (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA).
Results
Subject characteristics
The 384 subjects had an average age of 33.7±7.7 years,
209 (54.4%) were males, and most (65.6%) had an
educational level of college or above. Their median dura-
tion of work in the company was 5 years (interquartile
range 2.5–10.7 years), with an average of 9.3 working hours
per day and 46.5 hours per week.
Most of the subject characteristics were not significantly
associated with PVS or PRS, except for sex and level of
education. Significantly more females were in the popula-
tion with PRS than those without it (59.6% versus 42.4%,
P=0.024), and significantly more subjects in the population
with PVS had a level of education of college or above than
did those without it (77.5% versus 62.7%, P=0.016). In
addition, significantly more subjects in the population with
either PVS or PRS had a level of education of college or
above than did those without PVS or PRS (76.3% versus
62.9%, P=0.017, Table 1).
HADS and OBI versus PVS and PRS
The HADS scores for anxiety and depression between PVS
and non-PVS subjects, PRS subjects and non-PRS subjects,
or subjects with either PVS or PRS and those without either
(median scores for anxiety and depression between PVS and
non-PVS subjects, 8.0 versus 8.0 and 7.0 versus 8.0; between
PRS and non-PRS subjects, 7.0 versus 8.0 and 7.0 versus 7.0;
Table 1 Characteristics of the study population according to PVS and PRS
PVS P-value PRS P-value PVS or PRS P-value
Yes No Yes No Yes No
(n=80) (n=298) (n=52) (n=321) (n=98) (n=277)
Age (years)
a
32.8±7.3 34.1±7.7
0.224
33.7±7.3 34.0±7.7
0.800
32.8±7.4 34.3±7.7
0.131
Sex
b
, n (%) Male 47 (58.8) 160 (53.7) 0.450 21 (40.4) 185 (57.6) 0.024* 53 (54.1) 154 (55.6)
Female 33 (41.2) 138 (46.3) 31 (59.6) 136 (42.4) 45 (45.9) 123 (44.4)
Education
b
, n (%) High school or lower 18 (22.5) 109 (37.3) 0.016* 14 (27.5) 109 (34.5) 0.343 23 (23.7) 101 (37.1) 0.017*
College or above 62 (77.5) 183 (62.7) 37 (72.5) 207 (65.5) 74 (76.3) 171 (62.9)
Marital status
b
, n (%) Single 34 (42.5) 118 (40.1) 0.433 18 (35.3) 130 (40.9) 0.780 41 (42.3) 109 (39.8) 0.575
Married 43 (53.8) 171 (58.2) 32 (62.7) 181 (56.9) 53 (54.6) 160 (58.4)
Divorced/widowed 3 (3.8) 5 (1.7) 1 (2.0) 7 (2.2) 3 (3.1) 5 (1.8)
Work hours, n (%) Shift work 24 (30.0) 66 (22.3) 0.261 10 (19.2) 78 (24.5) 0.217 28 (28.6) 62 (22.5) 0.149
Fixed 2nd shift (15.30 pm to 23.30 pm)
and 3rd shift (23.30 pm to 7.30 am)
3 (3.8) 22 (7.4) 1 (1.9) 24 (7.5) 3 (3.1) 22 (8.0)
Fixed 1st shift (7.30 am to 15.30 pm) 53 (66.3) 208 (70.3) 41 (78.8) 217 (68.0) 67 (68.4) 191 (69.5)
Work duration (years)
a
6.6±6.5 7.0±5.7
0.631
7.4±6.5 6.9±5.9
0.636
6.9±6.8 7.0±5.6
0.923
Work hours per day (hours)
a
9.6±2.4 9.2±2.1
0.147
9.2±2.6 9.3±2.0
0.796
9.6±2.4 9.2±2.0
0.073
Work hours per week (hours)
a
47.5±12.3 46.2±11.1
0.366
46.3±12.9 46.7±11.0
0.799
47.9±12.3 46.1±10.9
0.212
Notes:
a
Data are presented as the mean ± standard deviation.
b
Data are presented as the number (percentage). *Indicates a signicant difference between two groups.
Abbreviations: PVS, phantom vibration syndrome; PRS, phantom ringing syndrome.
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between either PVS or PRS subjects and those without, 8.0
versus 8.0 and 7.0 versus 8.0) did not differ significantly
(all P0.05, Table 2).
In terms of occupational burnout categories, the subjects
with PVS had significantly higher scores for personal
fatigue (median 50.0 versus 40.0, P=0.001), job fatigue
(median 50.0 versus 40.0, P=0.008), and job overcommit-
ment (median 45.0 versus 35.0, P=0.035). Subjects with
either PVS or PRS had significantly higher scores for per-
sonal fatigue (median 50.0 versus 40.0, P=0.004) and job
fatigue (median 50.0 versus 40.0, P=0.016; Table 2).
OBI versus HADS
The Spearman correlation coefficients (ρ) presented in
Table 3 showed weak to moderately positive correlations
between OBI and HADS (ρ ranged from 0.272 to 0.549).
Personal fatigue and job fatigue were moderately correlated
with anxiety and depression (ρ 0.4–0.6), job overcommit-
ment was weakly correlated with anxiety and depression
(ρ 0.2–0.4), and service target fatigue was moderately corre-
lated with anxiety and weakly correlated with depression.
Independent associations of OBI
with PVS and PRS
Level of education was found to be associated with PVS
(odds ratio [OR] 2.05, P=0.014) and “PVS or PRS”
(OR 1.90, P=0.017), and sex was found to be associated
with PRS (OR 2.01, P=0.022). HADS scores for both anxiety
and depression were not significantly associated with PVS
or PRS; however, some domains of OBI were significantly
associated with PVS and “PVS or PRS”, so further multivari-
able analyses were performed to evaluate the independence
of the associations of OBI with PVS and PRS (Table 4).
All of the ORs for PVS or PRS were adjusted for age, sex,
and education. Higher scores for personal fatigue (OR 1.03,
P=0.001), job fatigue (OR 1.03, P=0.001), and service target
fatigue (OR 1.03, P0.001) had an independent impact on
the presence of PVS, but only a higher score for service target
fatigue had an independent impact on the presence of PRS
(OR 1.02, P=0.016). Higher scores for personal fatigue (OR
1.02, P=0.006), job fatigue (OR 1.02, P=0.003), and service
target fatigue (OR 1.02, P=0.001) had an independent impact
on the presence of either PVS or PRS (Table 5).
Discussion
PVS and PRS occur for many cell phone users. We found
an independent association between PVS and PRS and
occupational burnout in this group of high-tech employees.
Table 2 Distribution of OBI and HADS scores according to PVS and PRS
PVS P-value PRS P-value PVS or PRS P-value
Yes No Yes No Yes No
(n=80) (n=298) (n=52) (n=321) (n=98) (n=277)
HADS
Anxiety 8.0 (5.0, 11.0) 8.0 (5.0, 11.0) 0.973 7.0 (5.0, 11.0) 8.0 (5.0, 11.0) 0.619 8.0 (4.0, 11.0) 8.0 (5.0, 11.0) 0.518
Depression 7.0 (4.0, 10.0) 8.0 (4.0, 10.0) 0.349 7.0 (4.0, 10.0) 7.0 (4.0, 10.0) 0.331 7.0 (4.0, 10.0) 8.0 (5.0, 10.0) 0.206
OBI
Personal fatigue 50.0 (40.0, 60.0) 40.0 (35.0, 50.0) 0.001* 50.0 (30.0, 60.0) 40.0 (35.0, 55.0) 0.113 50.0 (35.0, 60.0) 40.0 (35.0, 50.0) 0.004*
Job fatigue 50.0 (35.0, 60.0) 40.0 (30.0, 50.0) 0.008* 45.0 (30.0, 55.0) 40.0 (30.0, 50.0) 0.281 50.0 (30.0, 60.0) 40.0 (30.0, 50.0) 0.016*
Job overcommitment 45.0 (30.0, 55.0) 35.0 (30.0, 50.0) 0.035* 50.0 (30.0, 55.0) 35.0 (30.0, 50.0) 0.098 45.0 (30.0, 55.0) 35.0 (30.0, 50.0) 0.062
Service target fatigue 45.8 (29.2, 62.5) 41.7 (25.0, 54.2) 0.113 45.8 (33.3, 54.2) 41.7 (25.0, 54.2) 0.190 45.8 (29.2, 62.5) 41.7 (25.0, 54.2) 0.075
Notes: Ordinal data are presented as the median and interquartile range. *Indicates a signicant difference between two groups.
Abbreviations: PVS, phantom vibration syndrome; PRS, phantom ringing syndrome; HADS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; OBI, Occupational Burnout Inventory.
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Phantom vibration syndrome and occupational burnout
This provides a model for a stress-induced psychosis rather
than childhood trauma or biological illness.
22
In the present study, there were significantly more
women in the population with PRS and those with at least a
college education were represented more often in the popu-
lation with PVS. Dewi Rees reported no difference by sex
among the widowed, and that the “professional and mana-
gerial” group of widows and widowers was more likely to
“hallucinate” than “nonmanual and sales workers”.
3
This
sex and occupation disparity requires further study.
Anxiety and depression were not associated with PVS/
PRS in the present study. However, without a dimensional
approach to PVS/PRS in this study and few severe PVS/
PRS cases, we cannot rule out specific correlations between
anxiety, depression, and PVS/PRS. In the study by Lin et
al
5
interns experiencing severe phantom ringing were more
depressed than interns experiencing subclinical phantom
ringing. The correlation of higher cognitive/affective
depressive scores in interns with severe phantom vibration
and phantom ringing enhances the viewpoint that phantom
vibration is synthesized through a cognitive mechanism.
More specifically, our results suggest that phantom ringing,
an auditory hallucination, is more relevant to a catastrophic
cognitive formulation than is phantom vibration.
Among the current subjects, higher scores for personal
fatigue, job fatigue, and service target fatigue had an inde-
pendent impact on the presence of PVS, but only a higher
score for service target fatigue had an impact on the presence
of PRS. Burnout due to fatigue may be less catastrophic and
may also respond to nonpharmacological treatment such as
exercise training.
23
Based on the hypothesis that phantom vibration and
phantom ringing are transient novel responses, the present
study is consistent with the well-known overlapping circuits
in the limbic forebrain, hypothalamus, and brainstem that
mediate stress responses, emotional learning, and reward
processing.
24
Menke et al
25
found glucocorticoid receptor-
induced neuroendocrine and gene expression changes in
men suffering from job-related exhaustion. These changes
returned to normal after the men recovered. Verhaeghe et al
26
noted that burnout was associated with hypofunction of the
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, a neurocharacteristic
of exhaustion, and this supports a possible relationship with
PVS/PRS.
There are limitations to this study. No reliable data exist
about the prevalence of PVS/PRS in the general population.
Subjects were employed by a single company and personal-
ity characteristics and job responsibilities were not taken
into account. Personal or work-related stressors were not
identified.
There are two major methodological limitations that
should be noted when interpreting our findings. First, the
cross-sectional design using a convenient sample from a
high-tech company in this study limits our ability to make
causal inferences on the relationship between PVS/PRS
and its correlates, and also limits generalization. Second,
the data were derived from self-reported assessments rather
than direct diagnostic interviews. A more comprehensive
longitudinal study design is needed to validate the phenom-
ena identified in this study and to explore the underlying
mechanisms further.
Conclusion
As a pilot study in this field, our results provide new insights
into the occupational burnout associated with PVS/PRS. The
independent association of occupational burnout and PVS/
PRS suggests that PVS/PRS may be a harbinger of mental
stress or a component of the clinical burnout syndrome.
A simple question about experience with an electronic device
may be less intrusive, and itself generate less anxiety than
questionnaires identified as being about stress and burnout.
This may also prove to be more convenient and to produce
Table 3 Correlations between OBI and HADS
HADS (n=384)
Anxiety Depression
OBI (n=376)
Personal fatigue
Spearman’s ρ
0.549 0.443
P-value
0.001 0.001
Job fatigue
Spearman’s ρ
0.477 0.406
P-value
0.001 0.001
Job overcommitment
Spearman’s ρ
0.324 0.272
P-value
0.001 0.001
Service target fatigue
Spearman’s ρ
0.410 0.318
P-value
0.001 0.001
Abbreviations: HADS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; OBI, Occupational Burnout Inventory.
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Table 4 Univariate associations of subject characteristics, OBI and HADS, with PVS, PRS, and “PVS or PRS”
PVS (n=378) PRS (n=373) PVS or PRS (n=375)
Crude OR (95% CI) P-value Crude OR (95% CI) P-value Crude OR (95% CI) P-value
Age (years) 0.98 (0.94, 1.01) 0.224 1.00 (0.95, 1.04) 0.799 0.97 (0.94, 1.01) 0.131
Sex Male Reference Reference Reference
Female 0.81 (0.49, 1.34) 0.420 2.01 (1.11, 3.65) 0.022* 1.06 (0.67, 1.69) 0.796
Education High school or lower Reference Reference Reference
College or above 2.05 (1.15, 3.65) 0.014* 1.39 (0.72, 2.69) 0.324 1.90 (1.12, 3.22) 0.017*
Marital status Single Reference Reference Reference
Married 0.87 (0.53, 1.45) 0.599 1.28 (0.69, 2.37) 0.440 0.88 (0.55, 1.42) 0.600
Divorced/widowed 2.08 (0.47, 9.16) 0.332 1.03 (0.12, 8.88) 0.977 1.60 (0.37, 6.98) 0.535
Work hours Fixed 1st shift (9.00 am to 5.00 pm) Reference Reference Reference
Shift work 1.43 (0.82, 2.49) 0.210 0.68 (0.32, 1.42) 0.303 1.29 (0.76, 2.18) 0.346
Fixed 2nd shift (5.00 pm to 1.00 am)
and 3rd shift (1.00 am to 9.00 pm)
0.54 (0.15, 1.86) 0.324 0.22 (0.03, 1.68) 0.144 0.39 (0.11, 1.34) 0.135
Work duration (years) 0.99 (0.95, 1.04) 0.630 1.01 (0.96, 1.06) 0.635 1.00 (0.96, 1.04) 0.923
Work hours per day (hours) 1.09 (0.97, 1.23) 0.147 0.98 (0.85, 1.13) 0.795 1.11 (0.99, 1.24) 0.074
Work hours per week (hours) 1.01 (0.99, 1.03) 0.365 1.00 (0.97, 1.02) 0.798 1.01 (0.99, 1.04) 0.212
HADS
Anxiety 1.01 (0.95, 1.07) 0.857 0.99 (0.92, 1.07) 0.790 0.99 (0.93, 1.05) 0.634
Depression 0.98 (0.92, 1.05) 0.567 0.98 (0.91, 1.06) 0.603 0.97 (0.92, 1.03) 0.386
OBI
Personal fatigue 1.02 (1.01, 1.03) 0.002* 1.01 (1.00, 1.03) 0.100 1.02 (1.00, 1.03) 0.010*
Job fatigue 1.02 (1.01, 1.03) 0.008* 1.01 (1.00, 1.03) 0.199 1.02 (1.00, 1.03) 0.019*
Job overcommitment 1.01 (1.00, 1.03) 0.085 1.01 (0.99, 1.03) 0.187 1.01 (1.00, 1.02) 0.147
Service target fatigue 1.01 (1.00, 1.03) 0.033* 1.01 (1.00, 1.03) 0.122 1.01 (1.00, 1.02) 0.045*
Note: *Indicates a signicant association.
Abbreviations: HADS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; OBI, Occupational Burnout Inventory; CI, condence interval; OR, odds ratio; PVS, phantom vibration syndrome; PRS, phantom ringing syndrome.
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Phantom vibration syndrome and occupational burnout
more accurate results, since there would be no need to “cover
up” this experience. A further prospective, longitudinal
cohort study may clarify this.
Author contributions
C-PC: literature research, data analysis, statistical analysis,
and manuscript preparation. C-CW: study concepts, study
design, definition of intellectual content, and data acquisition.
L-RC: study concepts and data acquisition. Y-HL: guarantor
of the integrity of the study, manuscript editing, and manu-
script review. All authors contributed toward data analysis,
drafting and revising the paper and agree to be accountable
for all aspects of the work.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.
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Table 5 Multivariate associations of OBI with PVS, PRS, and “PVS or PRS”
PVS (n=378) PRS (n=373) PVS or PRS (n=375)
Adjusted OR
#
(95% CI) P-value Adjusted OR
#
(95% CI) P-value Adjusted OR
#
(95% CI) P-value
OBI
Personal fatigue 1.03 (1.01, 1.04) 0.001* 1.01 (1.00, 1.03) 0.133 1.02 (1.01, 1.03) 0.006*
Job fatigue 1.03 (1.01, 1.04)
0.001*
1.02 (1.00, 1.03) 0.098 1.02 (1.01, 1.04) 0.003*
Job overcommitment 1.01 (0.99, 1.03) 0.251 1.01 (0.99, 1.03) 0.392 1.01 (0.99, 1.02) 0.353
Service target fatigue 1.03 (1.01, 1.04)
0.001*
1.02 (1.00, 1.04) 0.016* 1.02 (1.01, 1.04) 0.001*
Notes:
#
Adjusted for age, sex, and education. *Indicates a signicant association.
Abbreviations: HADS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; OBI, Occupational Burnout Inventory; CI, condence interval; OR, odds ratio; PVS, phantom vibration
syndrome; PRS, phantom ringing syndrome.
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