Burnout syndrome and psychosocial conditions in teachers of higher education

Abstract

The Burnout Syndrome is a response to the daily chronic stress and includes emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and low professional satisfaction. The most commonly affected professionals are those with direct contact with the public, as teachers, for instance. This paper aimed to analyze works about the burnout syndrome on third-level education. The databases consulted were the Scielo, Lilacs, PubMed and PsycINFO, and the keywords used were emotional tiredness; teacher; occupational stress and quality of work life. We selected 15 published in 2011 at 2015. Prevalence studies were predominant, with rates around 19%. The psychological factors related to the modulation of the syndrome were prolonged stress, neuroticism and depression, with negative impacts on well-being. Satisfaction with life, self-efficacy, and engagement at work acted as positive modulators. Concluded that recognizing the life conditions related to the syndrome helps in the development of new investigations and in the planning of preventive and therapeutic interventions, taking care of the physical and emotional well-being of the higher education teacher.