Burnout syndrome occurs as a result of long-term stress in the workplace. The main purpose of this investigation was to explore which socio-demographic traits of workers may be associated with the emergence of job-related burnout and to determine the link between occupational burnout and quality of life among security guards in the private professional security field in Central Serbia. A multi-center cross-sectional survey using questionnaires was conducted. Data were analyzed with multivariate logistic regression and the ANOVA post hoc test.
Altogether 353 individuals (330 men and 23 women) joined the research. Women and older employees were more likely to experience overall burnout and emotional exhaustion. On the other hand, men, those with advanced education, and people in management roles tended to report higher personal accomplishment and faced a reduced risk of total burnout. Being male, being married, having at least 2 children, and working in positions with frequent client contact were all clearly associated with a poorer quality of life. A strong negative relationship was observed between total burnout and the Physical Health Composite Score (PHC), with a Spearman correlation coefficient (rs) of −0.265 (95% CI: −0.361 to −0.163). Similar negative associations appeared between total burnout and the Mental Health Composite Score (MHC) at rs = −0.391 (95% CI: −0.480 to −0.301), and between total burnout and the TQL score at rs = −0.351 (95% CI: −0.445 to −0.258). Women and older age groups faced higher risks of total burnout and emotional exhaustion (EE). In contrast, holding a managerial post and having higher education served as factors that helped protect against burnout. Male gender, being married, having two or more children, and having regular direct contact with clients were all significantly linked to a lower quality of life. Working shifts were associated with a notable drop in overall quality of life, whereas managerial positions were associated with better quality of life.
