Assessment of the prevalence of burnout syndrome in community health agents of the city of Aracaju in the state of Sergipe, Brazil

摘要

The Community Health Worker Program was established in 1991 with the aim of contributing to improving the quality of life of the population, with the community health workers being the program's protagonists. In line with this, this study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of burnout syndrome in the community health workers in Aracaju. Data collection was conducted among 222 community health workers in 43 family health units in Aracaju. The research instruments were: identification sheets produced by the authors of the research to verify the occupational and socioeconomic situation of the professionals; Job Stress Scale Questionnaires and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The results showed that in relation to exposure to stress, 57.2% experienced psychological pressure and marked job control; 10.8% of community health workers showed a moderate tendency to Burnout Syndrome and 29.3% manifested characteristics equivalent to the syndrome. These characteristics of burnout syndrome may be related to frustration with respect to inefficacy in resolving the problems and the close involvement of community health workers with their community. Given these facts, it is necessary to create intervention strategies that seek to prevent the psychosocial problems encountered in these health professionals.