Síndrome de Burnout en Funcionarios de Prisiones

Abstract

This study analyzes burnout syndrome (SBO) and stress-coping strategies in 290 prison officers from the north of Chile (Arica and Parinacota Region). The instruments used were the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-HSS), the Stress Coping Questionnaire, and the Labor Satisfaction Questionnaire S20/23. Results show a low prevalence of SBO (around 6%), which is similar to values reported in previous studies and consistent with the empirical evidence available for other countries. A single factor analysis of variance also suggests that gender plays a relevant role, as women scored higher on the SBO. The most commonly used coping strategies were searching for social support, expressing emotions openly, focusing on solving the problem, and reevaluating the problem positively. Results highlight the importance of the depersonalization dimension of the SBO in the sample, constituting a distinctive feature of prison officers.