title: Multivariate analysis of burnout syndrome in Latin-American priests.
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.
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
authors.affiliation: UNIBE (Costa Rica).
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: López Herrera
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pedrosa
authors.forename: Ma Purificación
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Vicente Galindo
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suárez-Álvarez
authors.forename: M Purificación
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Galindo Villardón
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: García-Cueto
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002410:Catholicism; D002977:Clergy / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires