Esther R. Greenglass

Predicting teacher burnout over time: Effects of work stress, social support, and self-doubts on burnout and its consequences

This longitudinal study examined antecedents and consequences of psychological burnout among 362 teachers and school administrators. Antecedents included red tape, disruptive students and lack of supervisor support. Consequences of burnout included heart symptoms and depressive mood. Respondents completed questionnaires sent to them at their schools at two points in time, one year apart. LISREL analyses indicated that the predictors had significant relationships with burnout levels one year later, and that burnout served as a mediator between the predictors and emotional and physical health outcomes.

Introduction to special issue on burnout and health

Abstract In recent years, the issue of occupational stress and burnout have received increasing research attention. Given the amount of time people spend on work-related activities and the central importance of work to ones sense of identity and self-worth, it is not surprising that occupational stress is regarded as a central area of study. Although burnout is linked to the extensive literature on occupational health, burnout goes beyond occupational health by focusing on specific stressors in the workplace to emphasize total life and environmental pressures affecting health.

A Longitudinal Study of Psychological Burnout in Teachers

This longitudinal study examined antecedents and consequences of psychological burnout among human service professionals. Antecedents of psychological burnout included individual and situational characteristics, work stressors, and measures of social support. Consequences of psychological burnout emphasized satisfaction and emotional and physical well-being variables. Participants in the study were 362 school-based educators (teachers and administrators) employed by the same school board. Respondents completed questionnaires sent to them at their schools at two points in time, 1 year apart. Regression analyses of time-lagged data replicated many empirical findings from cross-sectional studies.

Assessment of perceived general self-efficacy on the internet: Data collection in cyberspace

Abstract General perceived self-efficacy pertains to optimistic beliefs about being able to cope with a large variety of stressors. It is measured with a ten-item scale that has proven useful in cross-cultural research. Previous findings suggest that the construct is universal and that it applies to the majority of cultures worldwide. The present investigation adds a new facet to it: can perceived self-efficacy be measured as part of an interactive computer session while surfing the Internet? A total of 1,437 computer users responded to a survey on the web, half of them young men and women below the age of 26. These data were compared to 290 Canadian university students, 274 teachers in Germany, and 3,077 high school students in Germany. It turned out that all psychometric characteristics were satisfactory. Some evidence for validity emerged. It is suggested that innovative methods of data collection be considered when developing a psychometric scale.

Work-family conflict, spouse support, and nursing staff well-being during organizational restructuring.

This study examined work and family conflict, spouse support, and nursing staff well-being during a time of hospital restructuring and downsizing. Data were collected from 686 hospital-based nurses, the vast majority (97%) women. Nurses reported significantly greater work-family conflict than family-work conflict. Personal demographic but not downsizing and restructuring variables predicted family-work conflict; downsizing and restructuring variables but not personal demographics predicted work-family conflict. Spouse support had no effect on work-family conflict but reduced family-work conflict. Both work-family conflict and family-work conflict were associated with less work satisfaction and greater psychological distress.

Is Job Satisfaction an Antecedent or a Consequence of Psychological Burnout

A modified version of a process model of psychological burnout proposed by Cherniss (1980) was used to study the relationship between job satisfaction and burnout. The research involved a secondary analysis of longitudinal data collected from 245 school-based educators from a single Board of Education. The results showed that negative work setting characteristics and marital dissatisfaction were associated with greater work stressors, which in turn were associated with increased burnout, which in turn resulted in decreased job satisfaction. When the longitudinal design was employed, psychological burnout appeared to have a causal relationship to job satisfaction, not vice versa.

Hospital restructuring, work-family conflict and psychological burnout among nursing staff

Abstract This study examined work-family conflict, family-work conflict and psychological burnout among nursing staff during a time of hospital restructuring and downsizing. Data were collected from 686 hospital-based nurses, the vast majority women. Nurses reported significantly greater work-family conflict than family-work conflict. Personal demographics but not downsizing and restructuring stressors predicted family-work conflict; downsizing and restructuring stressors but not personal demographics predicted work-family conflict. Restructuring stressors and both work-family conflict and family-work conflict were associated with higher levels of psychological burnout.

Proactive Coping, Positive Affect, and Well-Being Testing for Mediation Using Path Analysis

Traditionally, psychological research has focused on negative states, their determinants, and consequences. Theoretical con- ceptions of coping focus on strategies used to diminish distress. This approach is derived from the perspective that coping is mainly reactive, a strategy used once stress has been experienced. In contrast, proactive coping involves goal setting, having efficacious beliefs, and is associated with resources for self-improvement, including social support. In the present research, a theoretical model was developed in which coping and social support were seen in a synergistic relationship and were associated with a positive state that, in turn, was expected to relate to better psychological functioning. The general theoretical model was tested in three different samples: First year university students coping with depression (n = 68), rehabilitation patients mastering independent functioning following major surgery (n = 151), and employee absenteeism (n = 313). Results of path analyses showed that proactive coping was a partial mediator of social support on positive affect and that positive affect was associated with better psychological functioning. In students only, positive affect mediated the relationship between proactive coping and depression. This research represents a contribution within the field of positive psychology by empirically demonstrating how positive constructs contribute to improved psychological functioning. Theoretical and applied implications of the results are discussed.

Construct validity and sex differences in Cook-Medley hostility

Abstract Previous research has shown a relationship between Cook-Medley Hostility (Ho) and coronary heart disease. It has been suggested that the Ho scale measures ‘cynical hostility’ rather than overt hostile behavior. A person high on cynical hostility should be more distrustful of others and experience more stress than an individual who is lower on cynical hostility. The present study analyses the inner structure and validity of the Cook-Medley Ho scale using university undergraduates as respondents. Results of factor analyses revealed the existence of a general factor which centered around cynicism and distrust. The sum of nine items loading above 0.40 on the first rotated factor in the factor analysis can be used as a reliable and valid measure of cynical distrust. A positive correlation between this factor and scores on the Jackson and Messick (1970) Cynicism scale supports the hypothesis that Cook-Medley Hostility is primarily a measure of cynical distrust. The results have several implications for the relationship between hostility and disease. If, as the data suggest, cynicism is the central concept being assessed in the Cook-Medley scale, the relationship between Cook-Medley Ho and coronary heart disease may be mediated by an interpersonal deficit. Since a highly cynical person may be less receptive to social support, this would lead to social isolation, a potential link between cynical distrust and disease. Further analyses revealed significant sex differences in the pattern of correlations between ‘cynical distrust’ and Anger/In and Anger/Out scores. Cynical distrust was positively correlated with Anger/Out in men and with Anger/In in women. These differences are discussed from a gender–role perspective.

The impact of social support on the development of burnout in teachers: Examination of a model

Abstract This study examined the antecedents and consequences of burnout, including the roles of work stressors and social support from supervisors and co-workers, in a sample of 833 teachers at all levels within a Canadian school board. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach and Jackson 1986), which yields scores on three sub-scales; emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. LISREL analysis was used to test a research model in which relationships among burnout sub-scales were examined as well as their relationship to external variables. It was found that greater co-worker support contributed to the prediction of burnout, particularly to decreased depersonalization and increased feelings of accomplishment.