Sofrimento em burnout: uma aproximação fenomenológica existencial

Abstract

In view of the increasing suffering reported by people in the context of work, the general objective of this research is to understand and clarify the suffering described by the ICD-11 as burnout. To achieve this goal, two studies were conducted. The first is theoretical in nature and consists of a scoping review using the PRISMA protocol, with the specific objective of investigating how Brazilian Psychology has approached the issue of burnout-related suffering. The selected articles were obtained from the CAPES Periódicos, SciELO Brasil and BVS-Psi Brasil databases. In total, six studies published between 2002 and 2022 were analyzed. These studies cover qualitative, quantitative and quantitative-qualitative approaches, with the application of tests and in-depth evaluation. The focus professions of these studies include psychologists, ICU nurses, orthopedic residents, and teachers. The results indicated significant levels of burnout among the professionals, who resorted to individual strategies to deal with suffering. However, no institutional collective strategies were identified, which play a fundamental role in promoting the health of these professionals, as they can act directly on the sources of chronic stress. The second study is empirical in nature and adopts the theoretical framework of Martin Heidegger's hermeneutic phenomenology and investigates the meanings of suffering in burnout through reflective interviews. Five participants were interviewed, and the analysis of the reports revealed units of meaning that revealed issues such as labor shortage, excess demands, tight deadlines and harassment. The symptoms reported by the participants included insomnia, anguish before the start of the workday, vivid nightmares, stomach pains, fear, anger, guilt, crying spells, anxiety, loss of familiarity, lack of meaning in life and even suicidal thoughts. The search for treatment was the participants' own initiative and proved to be a way to alleviate suffering. Some participants chose to change their work environment or career, while others were able to change their relationship with work as a whole