TRABALHO DOCENTE E QUALIDADE DE VIDA NA REDE PÚBLICA DE ENSINO DE PELOTAS

Abstract

This research included 601 teachers of public, state and local elementary schools and high schools of the urban area of Pelotas, RS, in 2008, aiming to investigate the influence of labor conditions in quality of live (QL) and in the occurrence of burnout syndrome. It is an analytical, transversal study. Data were collected by a self-applicable questionnaire, with sociodemographic, behavioral, occupational and health information, along with the WHOQOL-brief instrument to evaluate the quality of life and the Maslach scale to evaluate burnout. Half the sample was local, the majority were female, white educators whose family income was inferior than three salaries per capita. Near half had a post graduation course, of which 93% had specialization, 49% worked in elementary teaching only, and of those, 42% in initial grades. One-third were sedentary and more than 40% had missed work in the month before. The same proportion referred some health problem and 18% is used to selfmedicating. Only 19% considered their quality of life very good and for all the domain of the environment had worse score. Female educators scored less than male educators in physical and psychological domain. A better socioeconomic condition was associated with a better quality of life. QL according to the type of school was only different in the physical domain, and local teachers did better than state teachers. One-third of the interviewees (31,4%) were classified with burnout syndrome: high emotional exhaustion (20,5%), high depersonalization (30,0%) and low personal achievement (13,8%) and these three indicators were more negative for the state. Female, younger and less experienced teachers, with lower individual income and without any other professional activity had significantly more burnout. In all domains of the quality of life scale, significantly lower scores of teachers showing burnout were registered. Activities that stimulate gathering among teachers may contribute to avoid expecting unreachable professional goals, which may be replaced by realistic objectives discussed in groups. Even the lack of adequate labor conditions may be minimized by searching for creative solutions in groups, unbecoming an individual demand