Quality of life and burnout among faculty members: How much does the field of knowledge matter?

Abstract

BackgroundFaculty members face demands such as research, outreach programs, and management activities. Such demands may expose faculty to burnout. Burnout affects the physical, psychological and social health of faculty members, but it is still unclear how it affects their quality of life. We aimed to assess the impact of burnout on the quality of life (QoL) of faculty members from different fields of knowledge.MethodsCross-sectional study using validated tools for measuring burnout and QoL (Oldenburg Burnout Inventory–OLBI and World Health Organization Quality of Life-Abbreviated version–WHOQOL-Bref) in a sample of 366 faculty members from a public university. Scores were analyzed using Student’s t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), binary logistic regression, and structural equation modeling (SEM).ResultsMore than a third of the faculty members (n = 127; 36.6%) suffered from burnout. Men had higher scores of quality of life than women in the physical health (p = 0.001; d<0.5), psychological (p = 0.001; d<0.5) and social relationships (p = 0.048; d<0.5) domains. Women were more exhausted than men (p = 0.001; d<0.5). Faculty members’ perception of quality of life and burnout did not differ according to their field of knowledge (p>0.05). Participants who felt tired before arriving at work were less likely to report good quality of life (OR = 0.46; 95% CI = 0.21–0.99). Faculty members who stated they needed more time to relax after work were less likely to be satisfied with their health (OR = 0.20; 95% CI = 0.10–0.40). Burnout showed a negative association with quality of life (λ = 0.87; p < 0,001; df = 8).ConclusionsBurnout negatively affects faculty members’ quality of life, regardless of their field of knowledge. Our results suggest the implementation of programs and actions to prevent burnout to faculty members, especially to women, as their quality of life may affect the quality of the education provided.

Perceived stress and quality of life among graduate dental faculty

“…Those who were involved only in research activities reported greater job satisfaction and lower levels of psychological strain. 18 Because perceived stress and QoL are also related to other life domains, 3 the present findings are not entirely attributable to the occupational demands of graduate programs. In this study, female participants obtained lower scores on the physical health, psychological, and environment domains than their male counterparts.…”

“…19 Another survey conducted among healthcare and life sciences faculty members reported QoL scores that are comparable to the present results. 3 In addition, female participants obtained higher PSS scores. These findings are consistent with the literature.…”

“…These findings are consistent with the literature. 3 Sex differences in psychological characteristics are important factors that merit attention because men are less susceptible to the impact of external factors. 4 In some countries (e.g., Brazil and India), women constitute a higher proportion of the population of dentists.…”

“…7 Past studies have assessed the mental health, perceived stress, and QoL of those who belong to the academic field. 3,8,9 Their findings suggest that mental illness is a growing problem within the domain of graduate education. 10 Among healthcare faculty members, inadequate leisure time can lead to sleep problems (which, in turn, can render them vulnerable to mental illnesses), burnout, and significant changes within their organizations.…”

“…2 Their high levels of stress can lead to burnout syndrome, lower quality of life (QoL), and contribute to the development of mental disorders. 3,4 In recent years, there has been remarkable growth within the graduate system (i.e., master's and doctoral programs). Consequently, there has been an increase in the number of new researchers and scientific publications, especially within the field of dentistry.…”