Chronic work stress syndrome (burnout) in Brazilian physical education professionals

Abstract

Burnout is the result of prolonged exposure to chronic work stress with insufficient recovery. This study examined the three components of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, personal accomplishment) in a sample of physical education professionals from the metropolitan region of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil. A total of 588 subjects were analysed and the components of burnout were defined by the Portuguese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. We studied the differences between genders, ages and job characteristics for the three components of burnout. Men obtained lower scores associated with personal accomplishment than women. The equivalent scores for emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation were significantly higher in older professionals. Regarding job characteristics, greater work experience, lower academic qualification, professional activity in primary education, weekly workload ≥ 41 hours/week, multiple employment and lower income significantly increased the odds of the presence of burnout. In conclusion, these findings can be used to design intervention programmes and implement changes in the working environment aimed at improving occupational health and the overall well-being of physical education professionals.