Burnout syndrome and common mental disorders among community-based health agents.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of the burnout syndrome and of common mental disorders among community-based health agents, also identifying associated factors.

METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 2006 with 141 community-based health agents who had been working for at least six months in primary care units in the city of São Paulo (Southeastern Brazil). The participants answered three questionnaires: one about sociodemographic, health- and work-related characteristics, the Self Reporting Questionnaire, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory, which allows the assessment of three dimensions of the burnout syndrome: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine associations between variables.

RESULTS: Overall, 24.1% of the interviewees presented burnout syndrome. Moderate or high levels of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment were observed in 70.9%, 34.0% and 47.5% of the participants, respectively. The prevalence of common mental disorders was 43.3%. Positive correlations between the three dimensions of burnout, were observed. Presence of common mental disorder was independently associated with higher levels of emotional exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment.

CONCLUSIONS: The high frequency of intense levels of burnout and the high prevalence of common mental disorders among community-based health agents point to the need of intervention strategies in these individuals' daily lives and of further studies to better understand the actual picture and the determinants of burnout.