Burnout syndrome and minor mental disorders in public employees

INTRODUCTION: The context of transformations the society has been going through, especially considering economic, political, and technological issues, has added strains to modern work relations. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the existence and levels of burnout and the prevalence of minor mental disorders in a sample of public administrative employees of the Social Security Agency of Mato Grosso do Sul, in Brazil. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study that used the following research instruments: the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Self-Reporting Questionnaire, and a sociodemographic and occupational questionnaire developed specifically for this study. RESULTS: The results showed a prevalence of 23.7% (n = 9) of suspected cases of minor mental disorders and extremely increased levels (91.4%) of one of the dimensions of burnout: reduced professional efficacy. Employees with suspected minor mental disorders presented higher levels of emotional exhaustion and lower levels of personal accomplishment. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to the reported evidence, we expect our findings to contribute to the development of strategies of preventive intervention and health promotion in this occupational sector.