Title: Burnout and Its Influence on Mental Health and Coping Styles among Morticians in Public and Private Mortuaries in Kisumu County, Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Research Project
Authors: Nyangute Ochieng Dismas, Careena Otieno, Okeyo, Elijah Omollo
Volume: 10
Issue: 8
Pages: 112-122
Publication Date: 2026/08/28
Abstract:
Background: Burnout is a recognised occupational mental health hazard, yet morticians professionals who routinely prepare, embalm, and handle deceased persons remain one of the least-studied occupational groups globally and in sub-Saharan Africa in particular. In Kenya, where mortality management increasingly relies on modern mortuary services, empirical evidence on burnout, mental health, and coping among mortuary personnel is scarce. Objective: This project investigated the influence of the three burnout dimensions emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment on the mental health of morticians working in public and private mortuaries in Kisumu County, Kenya, and examined the moderating role of psychosocial coping resources. Methods: A cross-sectional mixed-methods design was used, guided by Existential Theory and Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory. Data were collected from all 58 eligible morticians in Kisumu County using structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews; 47 complete responses (81% response rate) were analysed. Quantitative data were analysed in SPSS version 26 using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, independent-samples t-tests, chi-square tests, and moderated multiple regression; qualitative data were thematically analysed with NVivo. Results: Emotional exhaustion was moderate (M = 2.55, SD = 0.78) and significantly negatively correlated with mental health (r = ?0.304, p = 0.038). Depersonalization was low overall (M = 1.88, SD = 0.91) but showed a significant moderate negative correlation with mental health (r = ?0.464, p = 0.001), strongest in private mortuaries (r = ?0.571, p = 0.002). Reduced personal accomplishment was also significantly and negatively associated with mental health (r = ?0.309, p = 0.034). In a moderated regression model, burnout was a negative but statistically non-significant predictor of mental health (B = ?0.136, p = 0.564), psychosocial resources did not significantly moderate the burnout-mental health relationship (B = 0.034, p = 0.604), although the overall model was significant (Rē = 0.263, F = 7.853, p = 0.002). Socio-demographic and professional characteristics were not significantly associated with burnout or mental health. Conclusion: Burnout, particularly emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, is significantly linked to poorer mental health among Kisumu County morticians, even though overall burnout levels were low to moderate. Psychosocial resources alone did not buffer this relationship, underscoring the need for structured, institutionalised occupational mental health interventions for this understudied cadre of Kenya's health workforce.