ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION:

Several studies have pointed to a scenario of precariousness and illness among teachers. However, the way the profession resonates with the personal life of teachers has not received significant attention, even if it is common for them to take work home.

OBJECTIVE:

This study investigated the repercussion of work on the everyday life of teachers and its implication on the health-disease process.

METHODS:

This is a qualitative study based on individual semi-structured interviews, complemented by a form of sociodemographic characterization. Data were analyzed by thematic coding with the aid of the MAXQDA 12 software. This study included 29 teachers from four public schools of the municipal and state networks of regular and full day education of São Paulo, in addition to the principal of each school.

RESULTS:

The results indicated that the illnesses arising from work have been projected on the personal life of teachers. We identified four main forms of manifestation of this type of invasion: continuous link with work by successive frustrations; moral harassment; uninterrupted pending matters; and interference over the private course of life.

CONCLUSION:

The social and pathogenic suffering caused by the invasion of life by work pointed to this phenomenon as one of the elements that can help explain the recurrent clinical pictures of illness among teachers.

KEYWORDS:
School Teachers; Health Level; Job Satisfaction; Qualitative Research; Occupational Health

INTRODUCTION

Studies analyzing the work-health relationship of teachers in Brazil have shown that the organization and conditions of work of these professionals are hostile, leading them to illness¹1. Cortez PA, Souza MVR, Amaral LO, Silva LCA. A saúde docente no trabalho: apontamentos a partir da literatura recente. Cad Saude Coletiva. 2017;5(1):113-22. https://doi.org/10.1590/1414-462x20170001000
https://doi.org/10.1590/1414-462x2017000...

2. Guerreiro NP, Nunes EFPA, González AD, Mesas AE. Perfil sociodemográfico, condições e cargas de trabalho de professores da rede estadual de ensino de um município da região sul do Brasil. Trab Educ Saude. 2016;14 Supl 1:197-217. https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-7746-sol00027
https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-7746-sol000...

3. Macaia AAS, Fischer FM. Retorno ao trabalho de professores após afastamentos por transtornos mentais. Saude Soc. 2015;24(3):841-52. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-12902015130569
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-1290201513...

4. Neves MY, Brito J, Athayde M. Mobilização das professoras por saúde. In: Glina DMR, Rocha LE, organizadores. Saúde mental no trabalho: da teoria à prática. São Paulo: Roca; 2010. p. 248-70.

5. Gasparini SM, Barreto SM, Assunção, AA. O professor, as condições de trabalho e os efeitos sobre sua saúde. Educ Pesq. 2005;31(2):189-99. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1517-97022005000200003
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1517-9702200500... ^-66. Delcor NS, Araújo TM, Reis EJFB, Porto LA, Carvalho FM, Silva MO, et al. Condições de trabalho e saúde dos professores da rede particular de ensino de Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brasil. Cad Saude Publica. 2004;20(1):187-96. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X2004000100035
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X200400... and/or the abandonment of the profession in its various forms⁷7. Lapo FR, Bueno BO. O abandono do magistério: vínculos e rupturas com o trabalho docente. Psicol USP. 2002;13(2):243-76. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-65642002000200014
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-6564200200... ^,88. Cassettari N, Scaldelai VF, Frutoso PC. Exoneração a pedido de professores: estudo em duas redes municipais paulistas. Educ Soc. 2014;35(128):909-27. https://doi.org/10.1590/ES0101-73302014096069
https://doi.org/10.1590/ES0101-733020140... . Among the main forms of illness listed by these studies, we can highlight mental and behavioral disorders; voice and musculoskeletal disorders and cardiovascular disorders. Although these are not the only outcomes, they constitute a picture of typical diseases among teachers, as also observed among teachers from other countries⁹9. Shimizu M, Wada K, Wang G, Kawashima M, Yoshino Y, Sakaguchi H, et al. Factors of working conditions and prolonged fatigue among teachers at public elementary and junior high schools. Ind Health 2011;49(4):434-42. https://doi.org/10.2486/indhealth.MS120
https://doi.org/10.2486/indhealth.MS120...

10. Siniscalco MT. A statistical profile of the teaching profession. Paris: UNESCO; OIT; 2002.^-1111. Farber BA. Teacher burnout: assumptions, myths, and issues. Teach Coll Rec. 1984;86(2):321-38..

The work of teachers is known to have a little visible peculiarity as to the activities conducted outside the school and regular working time, e.g., preparing classes, correcting tests, etc. In general, the world of work has faced significant changes in recent times. Labor demands increasingly advance on private life and people's free time causing negative health impacts¹²12. Arlinghaus A, Nachreiner F. Health effects of supplemental work from home in the European Union. Chronobiol Int. 2014;31(10):1100-7. https://doi.org/10.3109/07420528.2014.957297
https://doi.org/10.3109/07420528.2014.95... . Nevertheless, the literature dedicated to the occupational health of teachers has few discussions on the subject, focusing on the activities conducted at school, that is, a formal workplace.

Our review identified that studies on the quality of life of teachers have grown over the last decade¹³13. Silva JP. Quando o trabalho invade a vida: um estudo sobre a relação trabalho, vida pessoal cotidiana e saúde de professores do ensino regular e integral de São Paulo [tese]. São Paulo: Faculdade de Saúde Pública da USP; 2018.. However, this problem is also not explored in them. On the other hand, the literature on education is focused on the teaching-learning relationship – mediated, above all, by the study of teacher training and educational policies –, and does not seem to have incorporated the health-work relationship into its agenda, whether inside or outside the school.

How would teachers be experiencing and interpreting this reality? What meanings would they be attributing to these experiences? How would work be projecting itself over the everyday personal life of teachers, and to what extent would this be reflecting on clinical pictures of illness of these professionals? The main issue on which this study was based was, therefore, the hypothesis that the work of teachers would be invading their everyday lives in a harmful manner to their health.

METHODS

This is a qualitative exploratory study performed empirically through semi-structured individual interviews. A form for the sociodemographic characterization of participants was applied for complementary purposes.

The sample consisted of 29 basic education teachers working in four public schools in São Paulo, as well as the four principals of these schools. Two schools were dedicated to regular education (one municipal and one state), and the other two were full day schools (both state). The data were analyzed by thematic coding¹⁴14. Gibbs G. Análise de dados qualitativos. Porto Alegre: Artmed; 2009. (Coleção Pesquisa Qualitativa).^,1515. Flick U. Introdução à pesquisa qualitativa. 3. ed. Porto Alegre: Artmed; 2009. using the software MAXQDA, version 12¹⁶16. MAXQDA. Qualitative Data Analysis Software. Version 12. Berlin: VERBI Software; 2017 [citado 26 fev 2019]. Disponível em: http://www.maxqda.com
http://www.maxqda.com... . From the perspective of the theoretical field of occupational health, this study was mainly based on the psychodynamics of work¹⁷17. Dejours C, Abdoucheli E, Jayet C. Psicodinâmica do trabalho: contribuições da escola dejouriana à análise da relação prazer, sofrimento e trabalho. São Paulo: Atlas; 2015..

This conception understands that the key for comprehending the health-disease process lies on the verge between two types of suffering that affect it: creative and pathogenic. Due to being inherent to the human experience, suffering – as well as pleasure – is ubiquitous, but whether it will lead to illness or will not depend, above all, on the means by which the worker will be able to – or not – creatively transform such suffering. If one is unable to do so, such suffering tends to become pathogenic.

The project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Faculdade de Saúde Pública of Universidade de São Paulo, under no. 1,553,835, CAAE 54839516.1.0000.5421.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The mean age of the participants was 45 years, ranging from 29 to 61 years, and the time of experience in teaching ranged between 1 and 37 years (mean was 18 years), constituting a heterogeneous sample, according to the standard of delimited viability. Women composed 55% of the sample.

Regarding the type of employment relationship, 86% were holders of effective position, 10% stable, and 4% had a temporary contract. Regarding marital status, 55% were married and 35% single, whereas 3% were divorced and 7% were under common-law marriage.

Work hours ranged from 11 to 69 weekly hours/classes (mean was 45.6 hours/classes). Among those whose employment relationship allowed them to have other work functions (teachers of full day schools cannot participate in other paid activities during the opening hours of the school), 55% had other jobs and 45% did not. Similar sociodemographic data were observed in other studies²2. Guerreiro NP, Nunes EFPA, González AD, Mesas AE. Perfil sociodemográfico, condições e cargas de trabalho de professores da rede estadual de ensino de um município da região sul do Brasil. Trab Educ Saude. 2016;14 Supl 1:197-217. https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-7746-sol00027
https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-7746-sol000... ^,1010. Siniscalco MT. A statistical profile of the teaching profession. Paris: UNESCO; OIT; 2002.^,1818. Batista JBV, Carlotto MS, Coutinho AS, Augusto LGS. Prevalência da Síndrome de Burnout e fatores sociodemográficos e laborais em professores de escolas municipais da cidade de João Pessoa, PB. Rev Bras Epidemiol. 2010;13(3):502-12. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1415-790X2010000300013
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1415-790X201000... ^,1919. Vedovato TG, Monteiro MI. Perfil sociodemográfico e condições de saúde e trabalho dos professores de nove escolas estaduais paulistas. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2008;42(2):290-7. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0080-62342008000200012
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0080-6234200800... .

Regarding the central element of our study (the relationship between work, personal life, and health), 76% of the teachers reported in the characterization form that they took work home. During the interviews, however, this number was much higher, since virtually all interviewees admitted to doing so.

The statements showed the existence of a harmful dynamic of the work of teachers that is manifested from the movement of this profession on their everyday life, something that happens without consent, choice or control on the part of the professional – hence the use of the term invasion –, causing suffering¹⁷17. Dejours C, Abdoucheli E, Jayet C. Psicodinâmica do trabalho: contribuições da escola dejouriana à análise da relação prazer, sofrimento e trabalho. São Paulo: Atlas; 2015.. Several interviewees referred to this phenomenon from the mention of a great difficulty in being able to disconnect from the school and the issues experienced in it, such as the following teacher:

The invasion of life by work identified in our study, however, does not occur in a single and linear way, but as a complex and multiform phenomenon. Two dimensions of this invasion were found, one material and one non-material.

From a material perspective, the phenomenon took on its best-known form, at least in the case of teachers. This occurred because the most noticeable form of the problem was identified, something considered common in the profession: taking work home. We call it ‘material invasion' due to concerning the material aspect of the profession, e.g., the preparation and correction of tests, assignments, etc.:

On the other hand, the non-material perspective surfaced in the invisible part of the relationship between work and personal life, in emotional terms, being the most dramatic and harmful of the two dimensions identified. Therefore, the issue is no longer talking about taking work home in a material sense but taking “the” work home in an emotional sense, suffering due to it¹⁷17. Dejours C, Abdoucheli E, Jayet C. Psicodinâmica do trabalho: contribuições da escola dejouriana à análise da relação prazer, sofrimento e trabalho. São Paulo: Atlas; 2015.. Of course, for some teachers, the very act of taking work home (material dimension) is already a source of suffering, reminding us that, in the dynamics of life as it is, the two dimensions of the problem are interconnected.

Studies dedicated to analyze the issue of the mental health of teachers stress the high emotional burden and psychic suffering that these professionals face²⁰20. Paparelli R. Desgaste mental do professor da rede pública de ensino: trabalho sem sentido sob a política de regularização de fluxo escolar [tese]. São Paulo: Instituto de Psicologia da Universidade de São Paulo; 2009.^,2121. Porto LA, Carvalho FM, Oliveira NF, Silvany Neto AM, Araújo TM, Reis EJFB et al. Associação entre distúrbios psíquicos e aspectos psicossociais do trabalho de professores. Rev Saude Publica. 2006;40(5):818-26. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-89102006005000001
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-8910200600... ^,2222. Diehl L, Marin AH. Adoecimento mental em professores brasileiros: revisão sistemática da literatura. Estud Interdiscip Psicol. 2016;7(2):64-85.. The best known may be those that address the theme from the perspective of burnout syndrome¹¹11. Farber BA. Teacher burnout: assumptions, myths, and issues. Teach Coll Rec. 1984;86(2):321-38.^,2323. Carlotto MS, Câmara SG. Análise da produção científica sobre a Síndrome de Burnout no Brasil. Psico (Porto Alegre). 2008;39(2):152-8.. This is a very widespread notion; however, we prefer to observe the problem according to the concept of mental weariness²⁰20. Paparelli R. Desgaste mental do professor da rede pública de ensino: trabalho sem sentido sob a política de regularização de fluxo escolar [tese]. São Paulo: Instituto de Psicologia da Universidade de São Paulo; 2009., a more complex and complete concept. The non-material (emotional) invasion of life by work – with the characteristically pathogenic suffering¹⁷17. Dejours C, Abdoucheli E, Jayet C. Psicodinâmica do trabalho: contribuições da escola dejouriana à análise da relação prazer, sofrimento e trabalho. São Paulo: Atlas; 2015. it has shown to cause – was manifested in four specific forms described below.

Continuous Link to Work due to Successive Frustrations

Data analysis showed that teachers are subjected daily to several physical and mental aggressions during their work. Among them, our attention was drawn to the fact that, more than low wages, long working hours and excessively full classrooms²2. Guerreiro NP, Nunes EFPA, González AD, Mesas AE. Perfil sociodemográfico, condições e cargas de trabalho de professores da rede estadual de ensino de um município da região sul do Brasil. Trab Educ Saude. 2016;14 Supl 1:197-217. https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-7746-sol00027
https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-7746-sol000... ^,55. Gasparini SM, Barreto SM, Assunção, AA. O professor, as condições de trabalho e os efeitos sobre sua saúde. Educ Pesq. 2005;31(2):189-99. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1517-97022005000200003
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1517-9702200500... ^,1818. Batista JBV, Carlotto MS, Coutinho AS, Augusto LGS. Prevalência da Síndrome de Burnout e fatores sociodemográficos e laborais em professores de escolas municipais da cidade de João Pessoa, PB. Rev Bras Epidemiol. 2010;13(3):502-12. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1415-790X2010000300013
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1415-790X201000... ^,1919. Vedovato TG, Monteiro MI. Perfil sociodemográfico e condições de saúde e trabalho dos professores de nove escolas estaduais paulistas. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2008;42(2):290-7. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0080-62342008000200012
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0080-6234200800... , teachers expressed frustration with being unable to perform their work, that is, they are unable to teach. This does not concern the pedagogical results themselves but working conditions.

In their statements, the professionals mentioned having the feeling that their classes are rejected by the students. Moreover, they seem to perceive the situation as a rejection of themselves, that is, of their professional identity. Clot²⁴24. Clot Y. Trabalho e poder de agir. Belo Horizonte: Fabrefactum; 2010. discusses obstructed work as an element of occupational illness due to limiting the power of action, something fundamental to the balance of health. In this case, more than having the work obstructed, it was about rejected work, something that certainly causes obstruction and compromises power of action, but goes further by inserting suffering¹⁷17. Dejours C, Abdoucheli E, Jayet C. Psicodinâmica do trabalho: contribuições da escola dejouriana à análise da relação prazer, sofrimento e trabalho. São Paulo: Atlas; 2015. on an ontological scale.

The literature on education has discussed school failure for a long time²⁵25. Bordieu P, Passeron JC. A reprodução: elementos para uma teoria do sistema de ensino. Petrópolis, RJ: Vozes; 2008. (Textos Fundamentais de Educação).^,2626. Silva TT. Documentos de identidade: uma introdução às teorias do currículo. 3. ed. Belo Horizonte: Autêntica; 2010.. The debates were on the failure of students who attended school but could not learn. Times have changed and it seems that we are now discussing another type of failure, the failure of the teacher who goes to school but is unable to even have the students' attention to teach.

Many teachers emphasized that the stress and frustration of being unable to do their job is a constant and systematic occurrence. For example, when talking about how she perceived work harming her health due to the stress generated by not being able to “teach”, teacher 8A stated that:

When combined, the statements on the subject referred us to a study that showed that teachers spend more time trying to control indiscipline rather than effectively teaching²⁷27. Noronha MMB, Assunção AA, Oliveira DA. O sofrimento no trabalho docente: o caso das professoras da rede pública de Montes Claros, Minas Gerais. Trab Educ Saude. 2008;6(1):65-86. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1981-77462008000100005
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1981-7746200800... . We found similar data. We thus used an illustrative comparison.

In the same way a physical injury caused by repetitive movements exists – repetitive strain injury, known as RSI –, the kind of disappointment and frustration that many teachers face can produce something similar but in the psychiatric dimension. Due to being “daily and constant”, this is a repetitive frustration. Thus, we may better understand the concept of mental weariness in teachers²⁰20. Paparelli R. Desgaste mental do professor da rede pública de ensino: trabalho sem sentido sob a política de regularização de fluxo escolar [tese]. São Paulo: Instituto de Psicologia da Universidade de São Paulo; 2009. as a “weariness caused by repeated frustrations” – a WRF so we can use a metaphor.

Continuous Link to Work due to Moral Harassment Disturbance

In addition to living with the daily frustration of feeling rejected by the students and being unable to perform their work, the teachers also reported cases of explicit violence, that is, verbal attacks – and even physical – while teaching. Although violence at school is manifested in several ways²⁸28. Teixeira W. A percepção dos alunos e dos educadores de uma escola da rede pública estadual sobre a violência nas relações que se estabelecem no cotidiano da escola [dissertação]. São Paulo: Universidade Cidade de São Paulo; 2008 [citado 26 fev 2019]., some are more explicit than others, something that the data in our study also identified.

We thus had to consider the daily frustrations experienced by teachers – previously described – as a form of violence. That case would be a symbolic type of violence. If such violence can cause emotional damage that leads the teacher to be bitter and continually reviving the frustrations suffered, what can we say about the explicit violence? The “glaring violence”²⁹29. Aranha MLA, Martins MHP. Temas de filosofia. 3. ed. São Paulo: Moderna; 2005. Violência e concórdia; p. 280-95.?

The reports of teachers who expressed having suffered this type of violence led us to identify in it another form of invasion of life by work, much like the one we described previously but that seems to manifest itself in a more intense and painful manner. Explicit violence – that can be physical or verbal – seems to generate such a profound and prolonged suffering (pathogenic¹⁷17. Dejours C, Abdoucheli E, Jayet C. Psicodinâmica do trabalho: contribuições da escola dejouriana à análise da relação prazer, sofrimento e trabalho. São Paulo: Atlas; 2015.) in teachers that it comes to be perceived as irremediable, scarring the individual and becoming a moral harassment:

The experience described was shown to have such a continuous link to the teacher with the emotions triggered, that not even time seemed to mitigate the suffering. The occurrence caused him “months” of bitterness, recounting the exact words uttered against him; thus, expressing not only the emotional pain of the occasion but the prolongation of the suffering experience¹⁷17. Dejours C, Abdoucheli E, Jayet C. Psicodinâmica do trabalho: contribuições da escola dejouriana à análise da relação prazer, sofrimento e trabalho. São Paulo: Atlas; 2015., something also expressed in several other cases.

The devaluation of teachers by the students – that is, the moral harassment– seems to have its roots in what Kleinman et al.³⁰30. Kleinman A, Das V, Lock M. Social suffering. Berkeley: University of California Press; 1997. call social suffering, a suffering that is produced within the institutions that regulate social life, resulting from the violence produced by the very social structure.

Continuous Link to Work due to Uninterrupted Pending Matters

Another form of the invasion of life by work was what teachers described as the experience of failing to disconnect from concerns about pending matters at work, issues to be resolved not at the work environment but in their own homes and/or other private spaces.

The difficulty here is to disengage from the feeling of duties to be fulfilled (not the content itself – which is material – from work), something that stands out as the main characteristic since it extends over periods when the individual should be connected to another type of experience. However, the individual cannot do so because forgetting the pending duties of work is impossible. The individual eventually becomes covered by a state of constant unavailability for others and for the self, leading to a conflict of contexts that yet again refers us to the pathogenic suffering discussed by Dejours¹⁷17. Dejours C, Abdoucheli E, Jayet C. Psicodinâmica do trabalho: contribuições da escola dejouriana à análise da relação prazer, sofrimento e trabalho. São Paulo: Atlas; 2015..

We can argue that we are addressing a situation of embarrassment in which the duties of work urge the person to remain connected to it, even when outside the work environment. This is perhaps the reason why one of the teachers stated that “teachers never leave school” (Teacher 5A), or that, according to another teacher, her work “begins, but has no end” (Teacher 4D).

When reporting how he felt about such form of invasion, one of the interviewees described the feeling:

Similar situations were described by several teachers, and the main points highlighted were the problems caused by the state of unavailability (for themselves and for others) that they cause, characterizing obstruction of the enjoyment of one's very life, in addition to the obstructed work discussed by Clot²⁴24. Clot Y. Trabalho e poder de agir. Belo Horizonte: Fabrefactum; 2010..

Prolonged Link with Work due to Interference on the Course of Private Life

This facet of the phenomenon occurs by the obstruction or direct interference over the course of private life, that is, over the personal life that exists – or that at least should exist – beyond work. This occurs when the individual is prevented from or suffers an interference to perform activities he/she wishes to do because of work, even when not at it. Again, it is not about obstructed work²⁴24. Clot Y. Trabalho e poder de agir. Belo Horizonte: Fabrefactum; 2010., but about life being obstructed or impaired by work, thus causing suffering¹⁷17. Dejours C, Abdoucheli E, Jayet C. Psicodinâmica do trabalho: contribuições da escola dejouriana à análise da relação prazer, sofrimento e trabalho. São Paulo: Atlas; 2015..

When one is unable to participate in some kind of personal activity because of one's working hours it is a completely understandable case. The concept of invasion would not fit such case. However, when work prevents or hinders one from doing what he/she wants in the time of private life, we cannot deny the classification of invasion, an invasion with pathogenic repercussions¹⁷17. Dejours C, Abdoucheli E, Jayet C. Psicodinâmica do trabalho: contribuições da escola dejouriana à análise da relação prazer, sofrimento e trabalho. São Paulo: Atlas; 2015.:

In this sense, another teacher reported:

Going further on this issue, the obstruction of performing desired activities because of work also presented another aspect:

Like this teacher, many interviewees mentioned the desire to practice specific activities (physical activities in this case) but could not do so because of the work. This is not necessarily due to the accumulation of positions or the lack of time (considering that this teacher did not accumulate positions), but due to a specific type of fatigue that, due to being proven as very specific, we called it “school fatigue”. This is a type of fatigue that, as the sum of the various misfortunes that permeate the work activity of teachers, exhausts them, “absorbs” and subtracts their “energy”, perhaps indicating the threshold of weariness²⁰20. Paparelli R. Desgaste mental do professor da rede pública de ensino: trabalho sem sentido sob a política de regularização de fluxo escolar [tese]. São Paulo: Instituto de Psicologia da Universidade de São Paulo; 2009. or, as some prefer to say: burnout¹¹11. Farber BA. Teacher burnout: assumptions, myths, and issues. Teach Coll Rec. 1984;86(2):321-38.^,1818. Batista JBV, Carlotto MS, Coutinho AS, Augusto LGS. Prevalência da Síndrome de Burnout e fatores sociodemográficos e laborais em professores de escolas municipais da cidade de João Pessoa, PB. Rev Bras Epidemiol. 2010;13(3):502-12. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1415-790X2010000300013
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1415-790X201000... ^,2323. Carlotto MS, Câmara SG. Análise da produção científica sobre a Síndrome de Burnout no Brasil. Psico (Porto Alegre). 2008;39(2):152-8..

Interfering with family and social relationships, many teachers narrated that such weariness often leads them to seek refuge in a state of seclusion in which they stay inside their bedroom “in silence” (Teacher 3B), or ask their family to leave them “alone”:

Finally, the dynamic and multiple character of these various forms of invasion of life by work must be highlighted, which showed the tendency to simultaneously project over life due to being multiple forms of the same phenomenon, appearing among regular and full day teachers. Despite the differences that exist between men and women in coping and reconciling professional and domestic demands²2. Guerreiro NP, Nunes EFPA, González AD, Mesas AE. Perfil sociodemográfico, condições e cargas de trabalho de professores da rede estadual de ensino de um município da região sul do Brasil. Trab Educ Saude. 2016;14 Supl 1:197-217. https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-7746-sol00027
https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-7746-sol000...

3. Macaia AAS, Fischer FM. Retorno ao trabalho de professores após afastamentos por transtornos mentais. Saude Soc. 2015;24(3):841-52. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-12902015130569
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-1290201513...

4. Neves MY, Brito J, Athayde M. Mobilização das professoras por saúde. In: Glina DMR, Rocha LE, organizadores. Saúde mental no trabalho: da teoria à prática. São Paulo: Roca; 2010. p. 248-70.

5. Gasparini SM, Barreto SM, Assunção, AA. O professor, as condições de trabalho e os efeitos sobre sua saúde. Educ Pesq. 2005;31(2):189-99. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1517-97022005000200003
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1517-9702200500... ^-66. Delcor NS, Araújo TM, Reis EJFB, Porto LA, Carvalho FM, Silva MO, et al. Condições de trabalho e saúde dos professores da rede particular de ensino de Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brasil. Cad Saude Publica. 2004;20(1):187-96. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X2004000100035
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X200400... ^,1919. Vedovato TG, Monteiro MI. Perfil sociodemográfico e condições de saúde e trabalho dos professores de nove escolas estaduais paulistas. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2008;42(2):290-7. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0080-62342008000200012
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0080-6234200800... ^,2020. Paparelli R. Desgaste mental do professor da rede pública de ensino: trabalho sem sentido sob a política de regularização de fluxo escolar [tese]. São Paulo: Instituto de Psicologia da Universidade de São Paulo; 2009.^,2727. Noronha MMB, Assunção AA, Oliveira DA. O sofrimento no trabalho docente: o caso das professoras da rede pública de Montes Claros, Minas Gerais. Trab Educ Saude. 2008;6(1):65-86. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1981-77462008000100005
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1981-7746200800... , the psychic suffering resulting from bringing work home affected teachers of both genders.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study showed that the investigated problem has caused suffering and impaired the health of teachers. Since they can no longer identify returns and/or perform their work, finding meaning in their profession becomes increasingly difficult; thus, impairing the pleasure that would allow them to creatively transform such suffering. In addition, external occurrences due to a growing loss of prestige of the profession in the social environment are causing a typical picture of social suffering. References to elements of pleasure in the work, for example, were almost inexistent.

Given the suffering of social scale and pathogenic type caused by the multiform invasion of life by work, such phenomenon can be considered as another element that can help to explain the recurring clinical pictures of illnesses of teachers.

Acknowledgements:

We would like to thank Fundacentro for the support during the PhD program in Sciences of Jefferson Peixoto da Silva; the participants of the study for their time during data collection; the members of the examining board for their suggestions to improve the study; to the Graduate program in Public Health of the Faculdade de Saúde Pública of Universidade de São Paulo for their support.

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