Individual and contextual covariates of burnout: a cross-sectional nationwide study of French teachers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Limited information on the covariates of burnout syndrome in French teachers is available. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative contributions of individual and contextual factors on the three burnout dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The source data come from an epidemiological postal survey on physical and mental health conducted in 2005 among 20,099 education workers (in activity or retired) selected at random from the health plan records of the national education system. The response rate was 52.4%. Teachers in activity currently giving classes to students who participated in the survey (n = 3,940) were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire including the Maslach Burnout Inventory. 2,558 teachers provided complete data (64.9%). Variables associated with high emotional exhaustion (highest quartile of score), high depersonalization (highest quartile), and reduced personal accomplishment (lowest quartile) were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression. Studied variables referred to demographic characteristics, socio-professional environment, job dissatisfaction, experienced difficulties at work, and teaching motivations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Different variables were associated with each burnout dimension. Female teachers were more susceptible to high emotional exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment, whereas male teachers were more susceptible to high depersonalization. Elementary school teachers were more susceptible to high emotional exhaustion, but less susceptible to high depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment than their higher school level counterparts. Experienced difficulties with pupils were associated with all three dimensions. A socio-economically underprivileged school neighbourhood was also related to high emotional exhaustion and high depersonalization.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Programs to enhance teaching environment might be an interesting approach to try to prevent burnout. It would be useful to take the different dimensions into account in planning the intervention.</p

First year effects of induction arrangements on beginning teachers' psychological processes

<p>This study examined the (1) effects of a supportive program (i.e., induction arrangement) on beginning teachers' (BTs') psychological processes after a period of 1 year and (2) psychological paths of influence of the arrangement. Participants (56 Dutch secondary schools with 143 BTs) were randomly allocated to two conditions. Experimental schools provided a carefully developed and implemented induction arrangement to their BTs. Control schools followed their regular (induction) arrangements. BTs perceived stress causes, self-efficacy, and job strain were measured with a pre-test post-test design. Condition effects were examined by means of independent sample t tests. The perception of the provided support was measured, and its psychological path of influence was investigated by conducting standard multiple regression analyses. BTs in the experimental condition indicated that they (1) received more support, (2) experienced fewer stress causes (i.e., lack of learning opportunities and lack of regulating possibilities), and (3) experienced more self-efficacy in the classroom at the end of the school year. Furthermore, fewer BTs left the experimental schools after 1 year. Reducing BTs' workload and supporting their professional development are the most influential induction arrangement elements provided in this study. Providing carefully developed and implemented induction arrangements may soften the harshness of the context in which BTs operate, by decreasing their perceived stress causes and increasing their level of self-efficacy in the classroom. This, in turn, could positively affect BTs' decision to stay in the teaching profession and might, therefore, add to a solution to the teacher shortage problem.</p>