Permanência e desistência de indivíduos no voluntariado: variáveis disposicionais e organizacionais

Abstract

In the face of diversity of existing difficulties, thousands of individuals help those who require some kind of material or immaterial help by donating their time and energy in volunteer work. Volunteering is understood as a prosocial behavior that does not involve financial and material rewards for its accomplishment. Despite the relevance of their social role and the positive effects enjoyed by the volunteers themselves, there are still gaps in relation to the factors that interfere with a long-term engagement. Therefore, the present thesis performed, through two studies, an investigation about dispositional and organizational factors that positively or negatively influence the continuity as a volunteer. Forty individuals of both sexes, aged 18 and over, participated in the qualitative study. Of these, 20 were doing some kind of volunteer work for at least six months, while 20 were ex-volunteers. The raw data from the interviews were transcribed and underwent content analysis, which resulted in 15 categories of motivational factors for continuity and 13 for closure. In the quantitative study, the sample consisted of 110 subjects, of both genders, from 18 years of age, 55 volunteers (Group 1) and 55 ex-volunteers (Group 2). Participants answered the Multidimensional Interpersonal Reactivity Scale, Agreeableness and Neuroticism factors from the Big Five Personality Factors Inventory, Subjective Well-Being Scale, and Resilience Scale. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using the R Software. The comparison between the groups revealed that the current volunteers had significantly higher levels of perspective taking on the other, positive affect, life satisfaction and resilience, while the former volunteers were superior in personal distress, neuroticism, and negative affect. It is expected that the identification of factors that interfere with the permanence or giving up of volunteer work can contribute to the development of intervention proposals aimed at volunteers and institutions so that there is a reduction in the dropout rate.