Abstract
Background: Burnout syndrome is a highly prevalent disorder in a wide range of professional groups, and is associated with substantial psychophysiological alterations. Nevertheless, this syndrome has not been analyzed in depth among the clergy, a group which fulfils a fundamental social function and has to deal with numerous stressors that increase the risk of burnout onset. Method: In the present study, the authors assessed 881 Catholic priests from Latin America. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-22, the General Health Questionnaire-28 and the CAGE were applied; we also recorded the priests' rates of cigarette-smoking. Specific cut-off points were set for burnout syndrome in priests. Results: The original factor structures of the questionnaires are confirmed in the clerical sample, and the reliability is adequate. As regards the dimensions of the syndrome as a function of the countries studied, no statistically significant differences were found, except for the exhaustion dimension. Conclusions: The authors established the typology that defines the relevance and effect of each dimension, as well as its prevalence in this group, with a figure of 25.39%. Furthermore, burnout shows a clear relationship with general health and may be associated with addiction to substances such as alcohol or tobacco.
