ARTÍCULO ORIGINAL

ARTÍCULO ORIGINAL / ORIGINAL ARTICLE/ ARTIGO ORIGINAL

Burnout syndrome in professors from an academic unit of a Colombian university

Síndrome de burnout en profesores de una unidad académica de una universidad de Colombia

Síndrome de burnout em professores de uma unidade acadêmica de uma universidade de Colmbia

Maylen Liseth Rojas Botero1, Hugo Grisales Romero2

1Gerente de Sistemas de Información en Salud, candidata a magíster en Epidemiología. Responsable de Sistemas de Información del proceso de Atención Primaria en Salud En Familia de la Facultad de Comunicaciones de la Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia. email: maylenliseth@gmail.com.

2Matemático, Doctor en Epidemiología. Profesor titular de la Facultad Nacional de Salud Pública de la Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia. email: hgrisales@guajiros.udea.edu.co.

Subvenciones y ayudas: artículo producto de investigación adscrita al grupo de investigación Demografía y Salud, financiada por el Fondo de Apoyo Docente de la Facultad Nacional de Salud Pública de la Universidad de Antioquia.

Conflicto de intereses: ninguno a declarar.

Cómo citar este artículo: Rojas ML, Grisales H. Burnout syndrome in professors from an academic unit of a Colombian university. Invest Educ Enferm. 2011;29(3): 427-434.

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ABSTRACT

Objective. To determine the prevalence of burnout syndrome, and the relationship with the type of contract under which professors work for the university, in professors of an academic unit of a public university of the city of Medellin (Colombia) in 2008. Methodology. A cross sectional descriptive study was carried out in three independent, randomized, representative samples according to the type of contract (31 full timers, 21 part timers and 43 per hours). A total of 89 professors were interviewed. To measure burnout prevalence the Maslach Burnout Inventory was used. Results. The prevalence of burnout probable cases was 19.1%, an additional 49.4% was at risk of having suffered it. According to the type of contract, full time professors had the highest prevalence (25.0%). In general, professors reported high levels of emotional tiredness and depersonalization (32.6% and 30.6% respectively), and a low level of personal accomplishment (38.2%).Conclusion. Burnout syndrome presented different type of behaviors according to the type of contract, being full time professors the ones who had the highest prevalence of the syndrome; it was expressed with higher degrees of emotional tiredness and a lower personal accomplishment.

Key words: burnout, professional; faculty; occupational health.

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RESUMEN

Objetivo. Determinar la prevalencia del síndrome de burnout y su relación con el tipo de vinculación laboral, en los profesores de una unidad académica de una universidad pública de la ciudad de Medellín (Colombia), en 2008. Metodología. Estudio descriptivo de corte transversal, en tres muestras independientes, aleatorias y representativas según tipo de vinculación laboral (31 de planta, 21 ocasionales y 43 por horas). En total, se encuestaron 89 profesores. Para medir la prevalencia del burnout se utilizó el Maslach Burnout Inventory.Resultados. La prevalencia de los casos probables de burnout fue del 19.1%; otro 49.4% adicional estaba en posible riesgo de sufrirlo. Según el tipo de vinculación, los profesores con mayor exposición al ambiente laboral presentaron la prevalencia más alta (25.0%). En general, los profesores reportaron altos niveles de cansancio emocional y despersonalización (32.6% y 30.6%) y bajo nivel de realización personal (38.2%). Conclusión. El síndrome de burnout presentó un comportamiento diferente según tipo de vinculación. Los profesores con mayor exposición al ambiente laboral obtuvieron mayor prevalencia del síndrome, el cual se manifestó con un mayor cansancio emocional y una menor realización personal.

Palabras clave: agotamiento profesional; docentes; salud laboral.

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RESUMO

Objetivo. Determinar a prevalência da síndrome de burnout e sua relação com o tipo de vinculação trabalhista, nos professores de uma unidade acadêmica de uma universidade pública da cidade de Medellín (Colmbia), em 2008. Metodologia. Estudo descritivo de corte transversal, em três mostras independentes, aleatórias e representativas segundo os tipos de vinculação trabalhista (31 de planta, 21 ocasionais e 43 por horas), ao todo foram interrogados 89 professores. Para medir a prevalência do burnout se utilizou o Maslach Burnout Inventory. Resultados. A prevalência dos casos prováveis de burnout foi de 19.1%, outro 49.4% adicional estava em possível risco de tê-lo sofrê-lo. Segundo o tipo de vinculação, os professores com maior exposição ao ambiente trabalhista apresentaram a prevalência mais alta (25.0%). Em geral, os professores reportaram altos níveis de cansaço emocional e despersonalização (32.6% e 30.6%) e sob nível de realização pessoal (38.2%). Conclusão. A síndrome de burnout apresentou um comportamento diferente segundo tipo de vinculação, sendo os professores com maior exposição ao ambiente trabalhista quem obtiveram maior prevalência da síndrome, que se manifestou com um maior cansaço emocional e uma menor realização pessoal.

Palavras chaves: esgotamento profissional; docentes; saúde do trabalhador.

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INTRODUCTION

The burnout term appeared in the scientific literature in the decade of 1970, when it was used for the first time by the psychoanalyst Freudenberg,1 who worked as a voluntary psychiatrist in the New York Free Clinic for drug addicts in 1974; he observed that after a year of working in the clinic, most of them underwent a gradual loss of energy, exhaustion, lack of job motivation and some anxiety and depression symptoms. He suggested burnout as a status characterized by a group of medical-biological and psychosocial unspecific symptoms, exhaustion, deception, and loss of interest, as a consequence of daily work, developed by professionals dedicated to service and help, who didnt reach the expectations deposited in their job. He defined burnout syndrome as a feeling of failure and exhausted or tired existence resulting from energy demands overload, personal sources or employees spiritual strength.2 Despite the psychoanalyst contribution, the term has been delimitated and accepted by the scientific community, almost all, from Maslachs and Jacksons conceptualization,3 who defined the syndrome as an answer to chronic stress consisting of three main factors: Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and low personal accomplishment.

Burnout was considered, at first, as an exclusive syndrome of social service professions, in which people work with direct contact with the customer, however, Maslach and others, expressed it could be developed in individuals whose job do not imply such contact, to the point of considering it can happen in any profession, but it is a specially important problem in jobs that require giving emotional help, among which are nursing, teaching, social work and children care.4-6

The necessity to explain the burnout episode, as well as the usefulness of integrating it in wider theoretical frames, to allow a satisfactory explanation of its etiology, has given place to the creation of diverse theoretical models that group a series of variables, considered as precedents and consequents of the syndrome. The models created from psychosocial considerations can be classified according to Gil Monte and Peiró7 in three groups to know:

1) Models developed from the social cognitive theory, in which individuals cognitions influence in what they perceive and do; 2) Models developed from social exchange theories, which propose that the syndrome is originated from perceptions of lack of equity, where the employee expectations play an important role; and 3) Models created from the organizational theory which include role dysfunctions, lack of organizational health, structure, culture and organizational climate as the syndrome precedents. They are models characterized by emphasizing the importance of the organizations context stressors and the coping strategies used towards the burning experience.7

Burnout syndrome can decrease the quality of the education given by professors, what goes against the academic excellence, ethical and social responsibility criteria every university set in their institutional mission.8It is how it was determined to look for the burnout syndrome prevalence, and its relationship with the type of contract in professors of an academic unit in a University of the city of Medellin, aiming to provide information for designing strategies directed to improve the professionals wellbeing.

METHODOLOGY

Cross-sectional study carried out using information collected from a self-administered survey to professors, with the supervision of researchers, from an academic unit of a public university of Medellin (Colombia), in the second semester of 2008.

Cox, Kuk and Lieters9 burnout definition was used in our research; answer to work stress developed when the employees strategies for coping with stress are not effective to manage it. Maslach, Schaufeli and Leiters Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI),10 validated for Colombia in 2004,11 was the instrument used. This questionnaire has 22 items that evaluate burnout through three factors: emotional fatigue, depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment

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