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The aim of the present study was to examine the free salivary cortisol response to awakening in men and women reporting low, moderate, and high levels of burnout.

Twenty-two patients on sick leave due to burnout were compared with 22 working participants with low and 20 working participants with intermediate scores on the Shirom–Melamed Burnout Questionnaire (SMBQ), with regard to the free salivary cortisol response to awakening. Saliva samples were collected upon awakening and at +15, +30, and +60 min thereafter.

Female burnout patients had higher cortisol levels than did the females with low burnout at awakening and at +15, +30, and +60 min after awakening. They also had a greater area under the curve (AUC) for salivary cortisol than did the female participants with low burnout. Male participants with moderate levels of burnout had higher cortisol levels at +60 …