Satisfacción laboral y desgaste profesional en trabajadores de servicios sociales de atención a la infancia

Abstract

In this paper we try to determine the levels of job satisfaction and burnout, as well as the existing relationships between these two variables, focusing on a group of professionals who work meeting children’s needs (social workers, teachers, psychologists, among them) from different official institutions included in the Community Social Services system. The instruments used for collecting data, have been an adaptation of the Font Roja questionnaire (Aranaz and Mira, 1988) for the assessment of job satisfaction and the Maslach Inventory (Maslach and Jackson, 1981) for burnout. Our sample consisted of 194 technicians. It should be pointed out that the percentage of respondents saying they have their professional functions very clear is less than 20%. In conclusion, we could not claim these workers exhibit burnout because they have higher levels of personal accomplishment and lower levels of emotional exhaustion than the classic syndrome initially described by Maslach (1976). In relation to job satisfaction, the most negative assessments refer to their low sense of professional competence and high levels of work monotony.