Professional burnout syndrome and Peruvian prison workers. A qualitative study of institutional and social factors

Abstract

The article presents the results of a nationwide qualitative research project on the institutional and social factors associated with Occupational Burnout Syndrome and job stress in Peruvian prison officers. 21 interviews were carried out with authorities from the National Penitentiary Institute of Peru (iNpE) and 12 focus groups that included 59 workers from the treatment and security areas of ten penitentiaries at the national level. The main institutional and social factors identified were: (a) structural political and economic variables pertaining to public institutions, (b) interpersonal job relations, and (c) perception of inmates. The article argues for a multidimensional understanding of Burnout Syndrome that incorporates political, social, and subjective aspects into the analysis, and places special emphasis on how prison workers’ perception of inmates might be influencing the prevalence of pBS and the institutional objectives.