The influence of the future expectation on quality of life of cadets of portuguese army

Abstract

Introduction: The quality of life at work has been a recurring theme in the literature, considering its role as motivating agent for workers and promoter of competitive advantage for organization.Objectives: This study intends to evaluate if the expectation that the cadet of the Portuguese Military Academy has on his future influences his health and quality of life, in particular the professional satisfaction, the satisfaction with life and the burnout syndrome and the perceived stress.Method: 424 cadets of the Portuguese Military Academy, all males, 99 (23.3%) from the first year, 105 (24.8%) from the second year, 109 (25.7%) from the third year and 111 (26.2%) of the fourth year. Participants completed the scales used to measure the variables of the study in person, in a collective and voluntary way. All ethical precepts for carrying out the research were respected.Results: The use of the modeling technique of structural equations revealed that the future expectation of professional and financial success has a positive and significant influence on the life and jobsatisfaction and a significant negative influence on the perceived stress and the burnout syndrome.Conclusion: The expectation of the future can be considered as a relevant variable to explain the quality of life of Portuguese citizens, at least with regard to indicators of satisfaction with life, satisfaction with work, perceived stress and burnout syndrome.