Institutional treatment of juvenile delinquents

Abstract

The article shown presents an attempt to clarify (lighten up) the importance of professional stress and the burnout syndrome in professionals working on the institutional treatment of juvenile delinquents, as well as the possible implications of this complex phenomenon. In that relation, beside the theoretical elaboration of the mentioned problem, the article will present results of the research which included 59 professionals from 5 institutions of the mentioned type in the territory of Serbia. The application of the Maslach Burnout Inventory resulted in getting evidence that over 37% of employees demonstrate high level of emotional exhaustion, as well as substantial sense of being under burden when depersonalization and personal professional achievements are concerned. Beside conclusions brought at the entire model level, tests have been made too of the correlative importance of specific variables in relation to the syndrome demonstration. In that context the article gives a summary of results achieved by professionals observed in relation to the following criteria: sex, housing situation and possible presence of chronic, organic diseases or invalidity. Finally, in the article will be mentioned some possible forms of action in the direction of prevention and resolution of the said phenomenon.

Prikazani rad predstavlja pokušaj osvetljavanja značaja profesionalnog stresa, te sindroma sagorevanja kod profesionalaca koji rade u zavodskom tretmanu maloletnih delinkvenata, kao i mogućih implikacija ove složene pojave. U tom smislu, pored teorijske elaboracije navedene problematike, u radu će biti prikazani i rezultati istraživanja koje je obuhvatilo 59 stručnjaka u 5 ustanova navedenog tipa na teritoriji Srbije. Primenom Maslach Burnout Inventory, dobijeni su rezultati koji svedoče da preko 37% zaposlenih pokazuje emocionalnu iscrpljenost visokog nivoa, kao i značajno opterećenje u dimenziji depersonalizacije i ličnog profesionalnog postignuća. Osim zaključaka na nivou celokupnog uzorka, vršena je i provera korelativnog značaja specifičnih varijabli, a prema sindromskom ispoljavanju. U tom kontekstu, u radu su prikazani rezultati profesionalaca posmatrani u odnosu na polnu pripadnost, rešenost stambenog pitanja, kao i prisustvo hroničnih, organskih bolesti ili invaliditeta. Konačno, u radu će se prikazati i mogući oblici delovanja u smeru preveniranja i kupiranja pomenute pojave.