Burnout, Life Satisfaction, and Work-Related Quality of Life among Psychologists

Abstract

Objective: Work-Related Quality of Life (WRQoL) is a multidimensional concept that is difficult to measure owing to the challenge of reaching a consensus on the factors involved. Although the WRQoL Scale has been proven effective in evaluating the construct in several countries, it has not been translated into Brazilian Portuguese until now. The aim of this study was to measure burnout, life satisfaction and WRQoL in psychologist, beyond validate the Brazilian Portuguese version of the WRQoL Scale, using psychology professionals as the target population. Methods: 610 psychologists participated in this study, who responded to the Maslach Burnout Inventory, Life Satisfaction Scale and the WRQoL Scale. Spearman’s correlation and group comparison analyzes were performed. Bilingual translators translated the scale into Portuguese, then English, and finally back into Portuguese. Adjustments to the final scale were made through a focus group comprising psychology professionals. The scale was administered online using SurveyMonkey. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used to test the existing models in the sample WRQoL Scale. Exploratory Factor Analysis was used to examine the potentially improved model fits. Results: 42% indicated adequate levels of satisfaction with life, 53% had burnout for Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization. Protective factors for the mental health of psychologists were identified. The final model to WRQoL Scale comprised 21 items distributed across 4 factors. The Cronbach’s alpha reliability index was 0.94 and CR = 0.95. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that the WRQoL Scale is a valid tool that can measure work-related quality of life. Keywords: burnout; life satisfaction; Work-Related Quality of Life Scale; psychometric validation; psychologist