Abstract
Introduction:The correctional officer career is considered a stressful and risky occupation that can affect the mental health of workers due to stress and burnout; this syndrome presents itself with physical, psychological, behavioral, and defensive symptoms, ultimately affecting quality of life.Objectives:To evaluate the sociodemographic profile, burnout levels, and quality of life of female correctional officers in a women’s correctional facility, as well as to verify possible correlations between these variables.Methods:This is a descriptive cross-sectional study performed in a women’s correctional facility located in Aquiraz, in the state of Ceará, through the use of 3 evaluation instruments: the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey, the abbreviated version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument, and a general information questionnaire.Results:Most of the correctional officers were married or cohabiting, aged between 31 and 40 years old, with complete or partial undergraduate education, and at least 1 child. In the burnout investigation, mean scores were 1.9±1.43, indicating a moderate level of burnout. Regarding quality of life, the environment domain presented the lowest scores (57.34%). We observed a correlation between burnout and quality of life, in which the higher the burnout scores, the lower the quality of life reported by correctional officers.Conclusions:Our data demonstrate that correctional officers face a risk of developing burnout, thus affecting their quality of life; therefore, preventive health care measures are required for these professionals.
Highlights
The correctional officer career is considered risky and stressful, and can result in both physical and psychological disorders since risk and vulnerability are intrinsic to this occupation
Considering the reduced SE index (rSE) domain, 88% of the correctional officers interviewed in this study presented low burnout levels, revealing that they did not feel unsatisfied or incompetent at work
The correctional officers interviewed in this study presented moderate burnout levels that could be related to signs of physical and emotional exhaustion, as well as attitudes of insensitivity and severity in interpersonal relationships
Summary
The correctional officer career is considered risky and stressful, and can result in both physical and psychological disorders since risk and vulnerability are intrinsic to this occupation. The current situation in Brazilian correctional facilities does not provide adequate conditions for officers to adequately perform their tasks due to prison overcrowding, a small number of professionals, and work overload. These situations result in poor working conditions, which associated to the feeling of being undervalued and professionally frustrated can affect quality of life, as well as the physical and mental health of these workers.[2,4]. This syndrome is defined as a chronic psychological phenomenon present in individuals whose work requires intense and frequent attention, as well as a contact with people that require assistance and care.[6,7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Revista brasileira de medicina do trabalho : publicacao oficial da Associacao Nacional de Medicina do Trabalho-ANAMT
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
