Prevalence of burnout among Brazilian Army soldiers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional analysis.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the mental health of frontline workers, including military personnel. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of burnout syndrome among Brazilian Army personnel during the pandemic and identify associated predictive variables. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 602 volunteer military personnel in the city of Santa Maria, Brazil. The Maslach Burnout Inventory was used to assess burnout syndrome, defined by high levels of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, or low personal accomplishment. Logistic regression was performed to identify associated factors. Results: The prevalence ofburnout syndrome was 48.7%. High levels of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment were found in 53.8%, 58.4%, and 27.0% of participants, respectively. Emotional exhaustion was more common in those with over 10 years of service (p = 0.001), higher rank (p < 0.001), and age > 40 years (p = 0.008). Low personal accomplishment was associated with lower rank (p = 0.007) and administrative duties (p = 0.032). Conclusions: Burnout syndrome was highly prevalent among military personnel in Brazil during the pandemic, with findings similar to those observed in other professional groups.