Faculty at the University of La Rioja: resilient to burnout?

Abstract

Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal satisfaction are the three characteristics of burnout, a syndrome conceptualized as an emotional response to chronic job stress. The main objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of burnout syndrome at the University of La Rioja. For this purpose, a proportionate stratified sampling by the departments of this university was created. A total of 138 teachers completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The results indicated that 9.4% of teachers had moderate or high levels of burnout, a result that supports the low prevalence of this symdrome found in previous studies. Additionally, cluster analysis revealed the existence of two profiles based on the risk for burnout (high or low). Significant differences were found between the risk profiles for marital status, number of children and professional coherence (defined as the match between the performed and the accredited professional status). These findings invite us to reflect on the influence that current social, political and legislative changes can have on the risk for developing burnout.

Keywords

• burnout
• síndrome de quemarse por el trabajo
• profesorado universitario
• prevalencia
• concordancia profesional