Burn-out Syndrome: A look into the professor’s professional exhaustion

The emotional aspects related to work stress have consequences on individual’s health and may impact on the quality of life and/or productivity. Emotional dysfunctions have common features that allow the study of variables associates to Burn-out Syndrome. This study sought to understand this theme on higher education teaching using the scientific production of the last five years. The results evidenced the concern with the professor's silent sickness, seeking the clinical understanding of stress’s repercussions from the application of validated tests and the identification of the potential causes of the emotional imbalance that affects the quality of life from the work activities. To understand the vulnerability, there was a highlight for preventive recommendations in groups with a greater propensity for Burn-out, mentioning, among those, professors with extreme ages or females. External influencers (related to the academic environment, organizational culture, and high demand of work with diverse tasks), as well as personal propensities (such as previous psychological illnesses, resilience, and spirituality), were addressed as important aspects for coping and as intervention proposals. It is showed that Burn-out Syndrome in university professors encompasses fields of a personal, philosophical, psychological, cultural, and organizational order. Thus, it is possible to conclude that the proposals for intervention and control are still subjective, which is influenced by the fact that the Syndrome is not yet recognized as a disease, and that most research seeks to understand the proportions and characteristics of this condition.

Keywords:
Occupational Stress; Psychological burnout; Teacher; Mental health; Teaching