Burnout Syndrome and Related Factors in Mexican Police Workforces

Abstract

Burnout (BO) is a response to prolonged exposure to work-related stressors characterized by emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and reduced personal accomplishment (PA). The police working environment includes continued critical life-threatening situations, violence, and injuries, among other related factors putting them at high risk of distress. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between Burnout Syndrome and sociodemographic, occupational, and health factors in Mexican police officers. We applied the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) to 351 active members of the Mexican police workforce. In addition, a specific questionnaire identified the presence of chronic degenerative diseases, hypertension, diabetes, digestive diseases, self-perception of food quality, and hours of sleep. Furthermore, 23.36% of police workforces presented high levels of burnout; 44.16% of police were highly emotionally exhausted, 49.29% had lost empathy with people, and 41.03% presented low personal achievement. Moreover, the worst levels of the syndrome were present in people with a poor self-perceived health status, poor perception of diet quality, without regular mealtimes, bad sleep habits, and elevated Body Mass Index. Data suggest that in Mexican police officers, BO is dimensionally different from all other groups previously studied (DP > EE > PA).

Prevalence of work-related burnout and associated factors among police officers in central Gondar zone, Northwest Ethiopia, 2023

“…Nonetheless, in comparison with research conducted in Kenya (30.9%) ( 27 ), Sri Lanka (31.1%) ( 52 ), Mexico (31.1%) ( 25 ), Chile (28%) ( 23 ), and Spain (32.2%) ( 21 ), we found a greater prevalence of WRB. This might be due to variations in the assessment tools used, resource availability such as poor remuneration, poor workplace conditions, high workloads, and low training opportunities ( 38 , 78 ), unpaid overtime, and the data collection period.…”

“…WRB was shown to be significantly associated with sex, job demand, organizational and operational police stress, sleeping troubles, and job satisfaction. This study’s WRB prevalence was nearly identical to that of other studies on police officers in Costa Rica (44.4%) ( 77 ) and Mexico (44.16%) ( 25 ). This similarity may be explained by the fact that police officers experience burnout in nearly every country worldwide, regardless of their level of development or living conditions ( 1 ).…”

“…In the United States, 19% were emotionally exhausted, and 13% experienced severe depersonalization ( 20 ), Spain (32.2%) ( 21 ), Sweden (28%) ( 22 ), and Chile (28%) ( 23 ). In a developing country, Bulgaria (74.53%) ( 24 ); Mexico (31.1%) ( 25 ); South Africa, where a high prevalence of exhaustion and cynicism was due to passive coping strategies ( 26 ); and Kenya (30.9%) ( 27 ). The occurrence of WRB among police officers is multifactorial: inadequate salary and unpaid overtime; excessive workloads ( 28 ); work–family conflicts ( 29 ); overburdened administrative roles; policy changes; and staff shortages ( 30 ).…”

“…Higher levels of social support were protective factors against burnout ( 48 ). Excessive demands on individuals’ ability to control, work overload, role conflicts and ambiguity, personal work relationships, lack of recognition, little or no participation in decisions, and job stability uncertainty are critical factors that contribute to work stress and ultimately burnout ( 25 ). Organizational factors, including inadequate resources, poor working conditions, feeling unfairly compensated, a lack of opportunities for promotion, and inadequate time with family, are causes of burnout ( 49 ).…”

Adaptación, Validación y Confiabilidad del Inventario de Burnout de Maslach MBI - HSS en policías ecuatorianos

“…Durante los primeros meses de la pandemia, se realizó un estudio por parte de Gomes et al, (2022) en las Fuerzas de Seguridad de España, el cual reveló la presencia de niveles significativamente elevados de burnout (28,5%), siendo las subescalas de cansancio emocional (53,8%) y despersonalización (58,0%) las más representativas, mientras que la falta de realización personal alcanzo el 46,3%. En un contexto similar, en México, el estudio llevado a cabo por (Torres et al, 2022) identificó una prevalencia del Síndrome de Burnout del 23,36% en el personal policial. Esta prevalencia se asoció a factores como la percepción negativa de la salud personal, la edad, la calidad de la alimentación y la falta de horarios regulares para comer y dormir.…”