Abstract

SILVA, Elisabete; DIAS, Paulo  and  RODRIGUES, Anabela. Job satisfaction and burnout in gerontological care assistants. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2019, vol.20, n.3, pp.788-802. ISSN 1645-0086.  https://doi.org/10.15309/19psd200318.

Over the last decades e have witnessed increasing attention on the elderly and their caregivers, both formal and informal. With the organization of the institutions, it is imperative to follow the technicians, their perceptions and indicators of satisfaction, as stress and burnout can give useful indications for the improvement of institutions. Given the few studies on this subject, the present work aims to describe and analyse job satisfaction and burnout among geriatric assistants, specifically exploring the role of personal and professional variables. Data were collected from a sample of 197 geriatric assistants from institutions in the north of the country, using a sociodemographic questionnaire, a job satisfaction questionnaire and the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory to assess burnout. Among the results, we highlight the greater satisfaction with vocational training, with the workplace and with colleagues, and less satisfaction with salary and job promotion opportunities. In the burnout, the values ​​are within the theoretical average being higher in exhaustion. The data also allow us to perceive a negative relationship between burnout and qualifications, and a positive relationship between professional experience and exhaustion. Also, in job satisfaction, some dimensions appeared related to academic qualifications and professional experience. Professional satisfaction appeared as a significant predictor of burnout, accounting for 21.6% of exhaustion and 34.8% of disengagement. Understanding professional satisfaction as an indicator of the functioning of institutions, the data presented may be important for a more comprehensive understanding of these organizations and new measures to promote their quality.

Keywords : job satisfaction; burnout; gerontology; formal caregivers.

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