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

The association between teacher distress and student mental health outcomes: a cross-sectional study using data from the school mental health survey

BACKGROUND

Few studies have examined the inter-relationships between teacher and student mental health. We aimed to examine associations between teacher distress and student mental health difficulties and if student perceptions of school safety moderate these associations.

METHOD

Data from 23,568 students in grades 6-12 and 1,478 teachers from 268 schools participating in the School Mental Health Surveys in Ontario, Canada, were used. Three-level (student, classroom, school) multivariable linear regression models were fit to examine associations between teacher distress and student internalizing and externalizing symptoms by elementary (grades 6-8) and secondary (grades 9-12) school. Statistical interactions were used to evaluate effect modification.

RESULTS

Small but statistically significant, positive associations were found between teacher distress and internalizing (b = 0.02; 95% CI [0.01, 0.04], p < 0.05) and externalizing symptoms (b = 0.03; 95% CI [0.01, 0.05], p < 0.001) among elementary students only. Student perceptions of school safety moderated the association between teacher distress and externalizing symptoms among elementary students, whereby the positive association was magnified among students reporting lower school safety.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this study highlight the importance of concurrently addressing the mental health needs of educators and students. School safety represents a modifiable target for prevention and intervention efforts in schools that could serve to promote student mental health and mitigate potential risk factors in schools.

Emotionally intelligent school leadership predicts educator well-being before and during a crisis

We examined the role of educator perceptions of school leader emotion regulation (ER) and emotional support (ES) in educator well-being during a typical year and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on emotion contagion theory, leaders' (in)ability to regulate their own emotions may trigger ripple effects of positive or negative emotions throughout their organizations, impacting staff well-being. Additionally, based on conservation of resources theory, when experiencing psychologically taxing events, skillful emotional support provided by leaders may help to replenish staff's depleted psychological resources, promoting staff well-being. In two national studies, a cross-sectional (NStudy 1 = 4,847) and a two-wave study (NStudy 2 = 2,749), we tested the association between United States preK-12 educator perceptions of school leaders' ER and ES with educator well-being before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, employing structural equation modeling and multilevel modeling. In Studies 1 and 2, educator reports of their leaders' ER and ES skills predicted greater educator well-being, including higher positive affect and job satisfaction and lower emotional exhaustion and turnover intentions. In moderation analyses, perceived leader ER predicted well-being about equally among educators facing severe versus mild health impacts from COVID-19. In contrast, perceived leader ES was more strongly associated with educator well-being for some outcomes in those severely versus mildly impacted by COVID-19 illness and death. Leader ER played a role in the well-being of everyone, whereas leader ES was more predictive of well-being for those severely impacted by a crisis. Regarding implications for policy and practice, efforts to promote well-being among educators may be enhanced when combined with efforts to develop school leaders' ER and ES skills, especially in times of crisis. Accordingly, school districts should consider the value of investing in systematic, evidence-based emotion skills training for their leaders.

Prevalence of stress and its relevance on psychological well-being of the teaching profession: A scoping review

Background

Well-being among teachers contributes toward quality work and better student support. Teachers' well-being persists to be a concern in school settings; there is a lacuna in understanding the concept of well-being among them. This scoping review identifies the stress factors and map their association with the psychological well-being of teachers employed in schools. Additionally, to identify the methodology and the interventions used in reducing teachers' stress and their relevance on their psychological well-being.

Methods

First, Pubmed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched for eligible studies with MeSH terms for stress factors, well-being, and teachers from 2010 to 2022. Identified studies were screened thoroughly and excluded or included based on prior established criteria. Data from the included studies were extracted and summarized according to the study protocol.

Results

Among the 60 studies that met our inclusion criteria, the majority were quantitative, with cross-sectional studies. Several studies focused on emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and diminished personal accomplishment aspect among teachers. Almost half of the included studies focused on organizational and social pressures such as administration workload, classroom management issues, lack of supervisor and team support, students' behaviour, and pressure from parents. The most used interventions to overcome stress were coping strategies and mindfulness training intervention tools.

Conclusions

The findings from the current scoping review will reveal the different stressors which impact psychological well-being. Focus on the most used interventions to overcome stress among schoolteachers. This will also provide recommendations to regulators and management to identify the factors causing stress among teachers and their relevance to their psychological well-being, overcome employee turnover and absenteeism issues. Also, different alternatives available to reduce the stress may benefit the stakeholders and policymakers to confirm a suitable intervention that will benefit the teaching profession.

Comparison of primary school teachers' stress responses between pre-pandemic and pandemic periods: a large-scale nationwide survey in Japan

A schoolteacher's job is considered one of the most stressful occupations globally. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has posed further challenges for schoolteachers. This study aimed to examine the effects of the pandemic on primary school teachers' stress responses in Japan. We analyzed the data from a nationwide survey of public-school teachers conducted between June 2019 and December 2021. The total numbers of participants were 65,968 in 2019, 72,248 in 2020, and 75,435 in 2021. Working hours and perceived main stressors as well as stress response scores were assessed. Contrary to expectations, the results showed that the stress response scores among primary school teachers did not increase in the first year of the pandemic. Rather, the stress response scores and the proportion of high-stress teachers significantly decreased from the pre-pandemic year (2019) to the first year of the pandemic (2020). However, the stress response scores showed a rising trend in the second year of the pandemic (2021). Participants' working hours decreased from 2019 to 2021. The findings in relation to teachers' main stressors matched these trends. Continuous monitoring of teachers' stress levels is required both during and after the pandemic.

Investigating the Effect of Cognitive-Behavioral, Mindful-Based, Emotional-Based Intervention and Professional Training on Teachers' Job Burnout: A Meta-Analysis

Teachers are more likely to experience occupational burnout; intervention for their job burnout has been paid more and more attention by the academic community. However, there is not enough evidence to support the interventions' effect. This study adopts the meta-analysis method and makes a statistical analysis of the interventions' effect on teachers' job burnout based on 29 papers in the literature of randomized controlled experiments. It mainly presents the basic external characteristics of the research literature; besides, based on the results of software CMA.V3, this paper also analysed the overall intervention effect and the separate effect of four types of intervention, namely, cognitive-behavioral interventions (CBI), mindfulness-based interventions (MBI), professional training (PT), and emotional-based intervention (EBI). The results showed that CBI had the best effect, and mindfulness-based intervention had the second-best effect. Professional training also showed a good intervention effect, while the intervention effect of emotional-based intervention remains to be verified. In addition, it was found that only the effect of cognitive-behavioral intervention (CBI) was significant and had a strong effect (g = 0.876, 95% CI-1.06, 2.814, p < 0.05) when considering their effects on emotional exhaustion, while the other three interventions had no significant effect. The discussion section is provided last.

Modeling the effect of loving pedagogy dispositions and teacher self-efficacy on teacher burnout

Introduction

Foreign language teaching is a demanding and challenging profession, and teacher burnout is a common issue in this field. There is a growing research interest in exploring the factors that can protect teachers from burnout and promote their well-being, as well as their effectiveness in the classroom. One such factor might be loving pedagogy, which refers to a teacher's positive and compassionate attitudes and behaviors toward their students. This study aimed to examine the association between Dispositions toward Loving Pedagogy (DTLP), teacher self-efficacy, and teacher burnout among a sample of Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers.

Methods

The participants included 428 English teachers from various parts of China. Data on the three constructs were gathered using an electronic survey which comprised three valid questionnaires for these variables. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesized relations among the latent constructs.

Results

The results indicated that loving pedagogy dispositions negatively affected teacher burnout and that teacher self-efficacy mediated the effect of loving pedagogy on burnout. More precisely, higher levels of loving pedagogy were associated with greater levels of teacher self-efficacy, which is in turn negatively affected teacher burnout.

Discussion

These outcomes shed more light on the importance of loving pedagogy dispositions for teachers' mental health and well-being. The findings have implications for theory and practice, as they suggest that fostering loving pedagogy dispositions among teachers can help prevent burnout and promote their well-being. Teacher training programs could integrate this construct into their curricula to support teachers in developing these attitudes and behaviors. Additionally, future research could explore ways to enhance loving pedagogy and self-efficacy among teachers and assess their impact on teacher well-being and effectiveness.

Intervention for job burnout reduction among a sample of Nigerian lecturers

BACKGROUND

One of the major issues facing Nigerian university lecturers is job burnout. In the current study, Nigerian university history lecturers were examined in respect of job burnout prior to and after an online psychological intervention that followed the rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) principles and practice.

METHODS

In this study, a group randomized controlled trial approach was used, and only 80 university history lecturers with high burnout levels were included. We had 40 history lecturers participating in an online intervention group and 40 history lecturers participating in the control group. A questionnaire - Oldenburg Burnout Inventory - was used to collect data about job burnout.

RESULTS

After the history lecturers underwent the online psychological intervention (online REBT), significant reductions in mean job burnout were recorded (F(1, 78) = 5756.11; P < .001). Findings show a statistically significant effects of time on burnout scores of history lecturers [F(2156) = 1323.69, P < .001, ω2 = 0.92]. There was also a significant group and time interaction effect on the participants' burnout scores [F(2156) = 1323.69, P < .001, ω2 = 0.91].

CONCLUSION

University history lecturers can benefit from online psychological intervention that targets job burnout reduction. The current study paves way for future studies to validate the efficacy of online REBT intervention among other employees who struggle with burnout problem.

The analysis of main stressors among high-stress primary school teachers by job positions: A nationwide survey in Japan

Objectives

A school teacher's job is considered one of the most stressful occupations worldwide. To maintain the mental health of teachers, it is crucial to clarify the factors affecting work-related stress among teachers. The present study thus aimed to examine the main stressors among primary school teachers considering the difference in job positions by using data from a large-scale nationwide survey.

Methods

We analyzed the data from a nationwide survey of public school teachers conducted between June and December 2021. The total number of participants was 138,651. The information of perceived main stressors, working hours per day, job workloads, job control, workplace support, and stress response scores were assessed by job position.

Results

Among all teachers' job positions, the working hours of vice-principals were the longest, but their stress response scores were the second lowest. In contrast, the stress response scores among diet and nutrition teachers and health education teachers were the highest; their supervisors' and co-workers' support scores were the lowest among all teachers. Quantitative and qualitative workloads, job control, workplace support from supervisors and co-workers are significantly associated with teachers' stress responses in all job positions. Perceived main stressors among teachers were different depending on job positions. However, regardless of job positions, relationships with supervisors and co-workers were significantly associated with stress response scores among teachers. Dealing with difficult students and parents as well as workloads of clerical tasks were also associated with teachers' stress responses depending on job positions.

Conclusions

Perceived main stressors among teachers were different depending on job positions. However, relationships with supervisors and co-workers were significantly associated with stress response levels among teachers regardless of job positions. This study highlighted the importance of interpersonal relationships at the workplace in terms of teachers' mental health. The results suggest that providing interpersonal skills training targeting co-workers' relationships and harassment prevention measures would be crucial to maintain teachers' mental health. The results also suggest that increasing school staff and providing sufficient organizational support for teachers will be required to prevent teachers' burnout.

The need to be unique and the innovative behavior: The moderating role of supervisor support

The purpose of this study is to examine the moderating effect of supervisor support on the relationship between the need to be unique and the innovative behavior. People not only strive to belong to a group but also want to be unique from others and feel exceptional. Individuals’ innovative behavior is one of the things that makes them feel different from other people. Because developing a new idea, supporting this idea, putting this idea into practice, and the positive achievements of this idea distinguish people who exhibit innovative behavior from others. It depends on the behavior of supervisors whether people who break away from typical practices and procedures to feel unique and special continue to act in innovative ways. In this context, it is vitally essential for supervisors to support people who display innovative behavior. The research was conducted on employees working in the education sector in Mersin. We employed the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine the fitness of the model and moderation was tested. As hypothesized, the need to be unique had a significant and positive effect on innovative behavior. This finding is consistent with existing literature and thus advance knowledge on need to be unique and innovative behavior, particular in education sector. Nonetheless, it has been determined that supervisor support doesn’t have a moderator role on the relationship between the need to be unique and innovative behavior. Although there are some researches in the literature on consumer experiences about the need to be unique and innovative behavior, but literature on education section is sparse and still long way to go to evaluate its’ reflections on the workplace.

Teachers on the margins: How low-income public schools burden our teachers

BACKGROUND: Teachers experience high work-related stress, which can lead to missed workdays and lower quality of life. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this exploratory pilot study was to assess occupational and environmental stressors in public school districts by income level to examine the influence these stressors have on teachers perceived stress and biological stress response. METHODS: Fifty-nine teachers were recruited from four school districts in Michigan (three low-income and one high-income). Participants completed a self-administered survey on teaching stressors, health, and demographics. Stress response was measured through blood pressure, heart rate, and salivary cortisol. Six salivary cortisol measurements were collected for each participant; three in the afternoon and three in the evening. Each teacher’s classroom and school underwent an environmental assessment on quality and proximity to environmental hazards. RESULTS: Teachers at low-income school districts had significantly higher afternoon cortisol levels, lower self-reported health, higher body mass index, higher perceived teaching stressors, and worked at schools within one km of a greater number of environmentally-contaminated sites, in comparison to their high-income school district counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: This research aims to inform future interventions that could lessen occupational and environmental stressors for teachers, improve teacher health outcomes and retention, and impact student success rates.

Mindfulness-based school interventions: A systematic review of outcome evidence quality by study design

Objective

The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the current literature on mindfulness-based school interventions (MBSIs) by evaluating evidence across specific outcomes for youth.

Methods

We evaluated 77 studies with a total sample of 12,358 students across five continents, assessing the quality of each study through a robust coding system for evidence-based guidelines. Coders rated each study numerically per study design as 1++ (RCT with a very low risk of bias) to 4 (expert opinion) and across studies for the corresponding evidence letter grade, from highest quality ('A Grade') to lowest quality ('D Grade') evidence.

Results

The highest quality evidence ('A Grade') across outcomes indicated that MBSIs increased prosocial behavior, resilience, executive function, attention and mindfulness, and decreased anxiety, attention problems/ADHD behaviors and conduct behaviors. The highest quality evidence for well-being was split, with some studies showing increased well-being and some showing no improvements. The highest quality evidence suggests MBSIs have a null effect on depression symptoms.

Conclusion

This review demonstrates the promise of incorporating mindfulness interventions in school settings for improving certain youth outcomes. We urge researchers interested in MBSIs to study their effectiveness using more rigorous designs (e.g., RCTs with active control groups, multi-method outcome assessment, and follow-up evaluation), to minimize bias and promote higher quality-not just increased quantity-evidence that can be relied upon to guide school-based practice.

A Consequential Partnership

Abstract. Many studies have focused on the effects of teachers’ well-being on the development of students, in particular their academic achievement. To date, little is known about the association between teachers’ well-being and students’ well-being. In the present study, we analyzed this relationship and examined the mediating role of teacher support using linked data from 2,686 students and 805 teachers from 48 schools in Germany. Multilevel regression analyses showed a relationship between teachers’ emotional exhaustion and students’ subjective health complaints and between teachers’ psychological well-being and students’ satisfaction with school. The latter association was mediated by teacher support as perceived by students. This study extends current knowledge about the relevance of teachers’ well-being to their students’ socio-emotional development and the mechanisms that underlie this association. Implications for promoting of mental health in schools and for future research are discussed.

Determinants of Burnout among Teachers: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies

We aimed to review the determinants of burnout onset in teachers. The study was conducted according to the PROSPERO protocol CRD42018105901, with a focus on teachers. We performed a literature search from 1990 to 2021 in three databases: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Embase. We included longitudinal studies assessing burnout as a dependent variable, with a sample of at least 50 teachers. We summarized studies by the types of determinant and used the MEVORECH tool for a risk of bias assessment (RBA). The quantitative synthesis focused on emotional exhaustion. We standardized the reported regression coefficients and their standard errors and plotted them using R software to distinguish between detrimental and protective determinants. A qualitative analysis of the included studies (n = 33) identified 61 burnout determinants. The RBA showed that most studies had external and internal validity issues. Most studies implemented two waves (W) of data collection with 6–12 months between W1 and W2. Four types of determinants were summarized quantitatively, namely support, conflict, organizational context, and individual characteristics, based on six studies. This systematic review identified detrimental determinants of teacher exhaustion, including job satisfaction, work climate or pressure, teacher self-efficacy, neuroticism, perceived collective exhaustion, and classroom disruption. We recommend that authors consider using harmonized methods and protocols such as those developed in OMEGA-NET and other research consortia.

A pilot study investigating the efficacy of brief, phone-based, behavioral interventions for burnout in graduate students

OBJECTIVE

This pilot study tested the efficacy of two brief, phone-administered, behavioral interventions derived from behavioral activation in reducing burnout among doctoral students.

METHODS

Sixty-six doctoral students demonstrating current high burnout were randomly assigned to one of three intervention conditions: (1) Reward: increasing pleasant, rewarding behaviors, (2) Approach: approaching important goals that they have been avoiding, or (3) Control: monitoring only.

RESULTS

Results indicated that doctoral students treated with the approach intervention reported significantly lower burnout compared to participants in the control condition immediately after the intervention and at a 1-week follow-up. Results also suggested that students in the approach intervention also reported higher well-being compared to students in the control condition.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that this approach intervention is an effective treatment for school burnout for doctoral students that can be delivered remotely through phone and web technology.

Using latent profile analysis to understand burnout in a sample of Greek teachers

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to identify burnout profiles in Greek secondary school teachers using latent profile analysis.

METHODS

Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) in a sample of 460 teachers.

RESULTS

In partial agreement with the literature, latent profile analysis revealed four profiles: Burnout (high on all three dimensions of the MBI), Engagement (low on all three), Overextended (high on exhaustion only) and Ineffective (high on inefficacy only). The most common profile among the teachers in this sample was overextended (50%). Teachers in each profile behaved differently with regard to job satisfaction and attitudes towards school-related sources of problems. In particular, Burnt-out teachers were more negative than the Engaged ones in almost all variables assessed, except educational policy, while differences between the two intermediate profiles were less marked. Engaged teachers showed the highest levels of job satisfaction, followed by Overextended and Ineffective, with Burnt-out teachers showing the lowest levels.

CONCLUSIONS

The derived profiles and their different attitudes showed the significance of all three dimensions of burnout syndrome. In practical terms, interventions appropriately targeted to each profile can be designed and implemented to prevent or reduce burnout.

Psychological Morbidity among University Students in Hong Kong (2014-2018): Psychometric Properties of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) and Related Correlates

Although mental health problems among Hong Kong university students are serious, there is a lack of studies examining the psychometric properties of related assessment scales and correlates. This study attempted to validate the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) in Hong Kong university students and examine the demographic (gender), time (cohort), and well-being correlates (positive youth development attributes and life satisfaction) of psychological morbidity. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine the factor structure of the DASS (n = 6704). Gender and cohort invariance were further established using a multigroup CFA. The three-factor model of the DASS showed a superior fit and factorial invariance across gender and five different cohorts. Regarding gender and cohort correlates of psychological morbidity, males exhibited more depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms than their female counterparts. The intensity of psychological distress also escalated after the Umbrella Movement in 2014. Furthermore, well-being measures (positive youth development and life satisfaction) were negatively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. In short, the Chinese DASS demonstrated good psychometric properties. This study also showed that gender, cohort (occurrence of political events), and well-being were associated with psychological morbidity indexed by the DASS measures.

Resilience during uncertainty? Greater social connectedness during COVID-19 lockdown is associated with reduced distress and fatigue

BACKGROUND

Social connections are crucial for our health and well-being. This is especially true during times of high uncertainty and distress, such as during the COVID-19 lockdown. This period was characterized by unprecedented physical distancing (often communicated as social distancing) measures resulting in significant changes to people's usual social lives. Given the potential effects of this disruption on people's well-being, it is crucial to identify factors which are associated with negative health outcomes, and conversely, those that promote resilience during times of adversity.

AIMS

We examined the relationship between individuals' levels of social connectedness during lockdown and self-reported stress, worry, and fatigue.

METHOD

Survey data were collected from 981 individuals in a representative sample of Austrian citizens. Data collection occurred during the last week of a six-week nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The final sample consisted of 902 participants. Participants were asked to complete validated questionnaires to assess levels of social connectedness as well as measures of perceived stress, worry-both general and COVID-19 specific-and symptoms of fatigue during the previous two weeks.

RESULTS

Our results demonstrate that greater social connectedness during the lockdown period was associated with lower levels of perceived stress, as well as general and COVID-19-specific worries. Furthermore, we found a negative relationship between fatigue and social connectedness, which was mediated by feelings of stress, general worries, and COVID-19-specific worries-respectively, indicating that individuals with smaller network sizes, who were highly distressed during the pandemic, were also likely to report feeling more fatigued.

CONCLUSION

Our findings highlight the important role that social connections play in promoting resilience by buffering against negative physical and mental health outcomes, particularly in times of adversity in times of adversity.

A Brief Mindfulness-Based Intervention (bMBI) to Reduce Teacher Stress and Burnout

Teacher stress and burnout contribute to attrition and stress-related health concerns. Despite some positive effects, previous mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) have failed to incorporate key elements of methodological rigor and have included large dosages despite research suggesting that such dosages are iatrogenic. The current study demonstrates the efficacy of a brief MBI (bMBI; four sessions, six total hours) to reduce self-reported stress, burnout, and depression, and suggests the bMBI can protect against deleterious impacts to physiological functioning. The study informs the design and implementation of future MBIs, including strategies for reducing intervention dosages, in order to improve effectiveness and maximize cost-effectiveness.

Why people need privacy? The role of privacy fatigue in app users' intention to disclose privacy: based on personality traits

Purpose

Mobile Applications (App) privacy has become a prominent social problem. Compared with privacy concerns, this study examines a relatively novel concept of privacy fatigue and explores its effect on the users’ intention to disclose their personal information via mobile Apps. In addition, the personality traits are proposed as antecedents that will induce the personal perception of privacy fatigue and privacy concerns differently.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 426 respondents. Structure equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The findings describe that App users’ intention toward personal information disclosure is determined by privacy fatigue and privacy concerns, but the former has a greater impact. With minor exceptions, the two factors are also influenced by different personality traits. Specifically, neuroticism has positive effects on privacy fatigue, but agreeableness and extraversion have presented the opposite results on the two variables.

Practical implications

This research is very scarce to examine the joint effects of privacy fatigue, privacy concerns and personality traits on App users’ disclosing intention. In doing so, these results will be of benefit to App providers and platform managers and can be the basis for a variety of follow-up studies.

Originality/value

While previous research just focuses on privacy concerns, this study explores the critical roles of privacy fatigue and opens up a new avenue of emotion-attitude analysis that can further increase the specificity and richness of users’ privacy research. Additionally, implications for personality traits as antecedents in the impact of App users’ privacy emotions and attitudes are discussed.

Burnout in providers serving individuals with ASD: The impact of the workplace

Increased levels of burnout have been demonstrated for providers serving individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Given higher levels of burnout are linked with a number of negative physical and psychological outcomes, it is important to understand predictors of burnout to inform prevention and intervention strategies. Leiter and Maslach (1999) provide a framework for conceptualizing burnout within an organizational context according to six areas of work-life. The present study examines the relation between the six areas of work-life and burnout in staff providing direct care services to individuals with ASD. A total of 149 providers completed an online survey consisting of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI; Maslach, Jackson, & Leiter, 1997), the Areas of Work-life Survey (AWS; Leiter & Maslach, 1999), and additional questions about training and supervision. The areas of workload, reward, fairness, and values emerged as the best predictors of burnout. While workload, fairness, and values predicted emotional exhaustion, values and reward predicted personal accomplishment, and values alone predicted depersonalization. Lower levels of training satisfaction and frequency of supervision were related to burnout. Findings provide direction regarding which aspects of the workplace may be most relevant for this workforce and how these areas may be targeted for change.

Investigating the relationship between social support and school burnout in Turkish middle school students: The mediating role of hope

The literature has documented the relationships between school burnout and mental health, academic achievement, and overall quality of life. Furthermore, hope and social support have been identified as important factors for coping with stress and have been found to be negatively related to undesirable emotional states. The present study aimed to examine the effects of demographic variables, social support, and hope on school burnout in Turkish middle school students. More importantly, hope was investigated as a possible mediator of the relationship between social support and school burnout. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to investigate the effects of social support and hope on school burnout. Additionally, a bootstrapping procedure was employed to test mediational effects of hope on the effects of social support. The results revealed that, after controlling demographic variables, social support and hope negatively predicted school burnout. Mediation analyses showed that hope significantly and partially mediated the link between social support and school burnout. Specifically, students with higher levels of social support reported having higher levels of hope, which in turn was associated with lower levels of school burnout. The results and limitations are discussed along with implications for future research and educational planning.

Making Sense of Chinese Employees' Suicide Ideation: Does Meaning in Life Matter?

Drawing on the self-determination theory and conservation of resources, our research shed light on the linkage between organizational autonomy support and suicide ideation. Specifically, this study examined whether the negative influence of autonomy support on suicide ideation is mediated via meaning in life, and if employee's autonomy orientations constitute a boundary condition of this relationship. To test the hypothesized model, data were collected from professional employees (N = 687) across six organizations of various business sectors. The findings supported our proposed hypotheses and showed that individuals' meaning in life mediated the linkage between autonomy support and suicide ideation. As suggested, hypothesized relations were moderated by employee's disposition in such a way that autonomy support influences meaning in life of employees high on autonomy orientation, but not of employees low on autonomy orientation. The study discussed implications and future research avenues.

Effects of Daily and Reduced Frequency Implementation of the Good Behavior Game in Kindergarten Classrooms

An effective group contingency, the Good Behavior Game (GBG), has been implemented successfully with a wide range of age groups. However, improvements in student behavior are often not observed when the GBG is abruptly terminated, and research has yet to evaluate the effects of the GBG when the frequency of implementation is reduced. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effect of the GBG, implemented daily initially then on a less frequent schedule. The study utilized a multiple baseline design across three kindergarten classrooms to evaluate the effectiveness and maintenance of the GBG at reducing classwide and target student disruptive behavior (DB) and increasing classwide and target student academic engagement. Reduced Frequency data were collected while withholding implementation of the GBG. The results indicate that the GBG was highly effective in improving classwide behavior, which was maintained throughout the final Reduced Frequency phase in which the GBG was reduced in frequency, and moderately effective in improving target student behavior during both phases.

Help me if you can: Psychological distance and help-seeking intentions in employee-supervisor relations

Social support at work is considered useful in treating job-related stress, and supervisors' emotional support has been found to be the most effective source of support at work. But an understanding of what elements make employees use supervisors as a source of emotional support is lacking. The present qualitative study included in-depth interviews with 24 teachers and 12 principals and a focus group with 12 school counsellors. The findings pointed at 2 groups of determinants of subordinates' intentions of asking socioemotional help from supervisors. The structural-organizational factors included low formalization structure, supportive and open work climate, shared goals, and manager's professional expertise; the dyadic factors included quality of relationship and demographic similarity. The determinants reflected different dimensions of psychological distance forming a close construal level that played a central part in employees' viewing the supervisor as an accessible socioemotional resource. The role of construal fit is discussed.

Prevalence and correlates of psychological stress among teachers at a national key comprehensive university in China

The present study investigated the levels of stress and associated factors in university teachers to provide a foundation for exploring strategies for preventing teacher stress. We conducted a cross-sectional survey using a composite questionnaire with the 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) as the core at a comprehensive university located in northeast China. The number of effective respondents was 603. The average K10 score was 22.87 ± 8.18, and the positive rate (K10 > 21) was 54.06%. University teachers generally experienced high stress levels. The highest stress levels were observed in teachers whose academic title was lecturer or associate professor, according to a comprehensive consideration of several factors, including age, income, and teaching tenure. Teachers of engineering and agriculture and forestry have lower stress levels than teachers of other subjects. A lack of research funding and lack of routine rest on the weekends or on statutory holidays may increase teachers' stress, whereas regular exercise may reduce stress. Academic title promotion, scientific research pressure, and lack of routine breaks and physical exercise were the main sources of stress.

Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies

Burnout is a syndrome that results from chronic stress at work, with several consequences to workers' well-being and health. This systematic review aimed to summarize the evidence of the physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout in prospective studies. The PubMed, Science Direct, PsycInfo, SciELO, LILACS and Web of Science databases were searched without language or date restrictions. The Transparent Reporting of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed. Prospective studies that analyzed burnout as the exposure condition were included. Among the 993 articles initially identified, 61 fulfilled the inclusion criteria, and 36 were analyzed because they met three criteria that must be followed in prospective studies. Burnout was a significant predictor of the following physical consequences: hypercholesterolemia, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, hospitalization due to cardiovascular disorder, musculoskeletal pain, changes in pain experiences, prolonged fatigue, headaches, gastrointestinal issues, respiratory problems, severe injuries and mortality below the age of 45 years. The psychological effects were insomnia, depressive symptoms, use of psychotropic and antidepressant medications, hospitalization for mental disorders and psychological ill-health symptoms. Job dissatisfaction, absenteeism, new disability pension, job demands, job resources and presenteeism were identified as professional outcomes. Conflicting findings were observed. In conclusion, several prospective and high-quality studies showed physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout. The individual and social impacts of burnout highlight the need for preventive interventions and early identification of this health condition in the work environment.

Job resources and demands for expatriate academics

Purpose

While there is a growing interest in expatriate academics, their specific role as teachers with daily contact to local students seems to have been largely ignored when examining their adjustment and work outcomes. Based on the job demands-resources model the authors predict that good teacher-student relations, as a supportive job resource, will have a positive effect on expatriate academics’ job satisfaction. This effect, however, will be even stronger for individuals experiencing high job demands and challenges in terms of intercultural job adjustment. In other words, expatriate academics that have difficulties adjusting will benefit more from the social support that can originate from good relations to their students. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors surveyed expatriate academics adjusting to a university position in China by use of 124 responses from foreign university employees.

Findings

The authors found that teacher-student relations had a positive association with job satisfaction and that positive teacher-student relations increased job satisfaction more for individuals being slow to adjust.

Originality/value

This is one of the few papers to explore the impact that students can have on expatriate academics and treat this relationship as a potential resource for universities to capitalize upon in socializing their new foreign academic staff members.

Relationship between depressive symptoms and perceived individual level occupational stress among Japanese schoolteachers

Japanese teachers are mentally and physically burdened with various work stressors. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between depressive symptoms and perceived individual level occupational stress including role problems among Japanese schoolteachers. This study included 1,006 teachers working in public schools in a Japanese city. The Japanese version of Zung's Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) was used to evaluate depressive symptoms, and the Generic Job Stress Questionnaire was used to evaluate occupational stress and three measures of social support. Subjects with SDS scores of more than 50 were categorized into the "depressive group." We examined the relationship between depressive symptoms and perceived individual level occupational stress using multiple logistic regression analyses. A total of 202 (20.1%) teachers belonged to the depressive group. We found that high role ambiguity, high role conflict, high quantitative workload, and low social support from family or friends were significantly related to depressive symptoms. To moderate role ambiguity and role conflict experienced by teachers, it is necessary to clarify the priority order of teachers' work. Furthermore, it is necessary to reduce workload by focusing on the content of teachers' work and the setting of education itself. Focusing on these elements will reduce teachers' depressive symptoms.

The moderating role of overcommitment in the relationship between psychological contract breach and employee mental health

OBJECTIVES

This study investigated whether the association between perceived psychological contract breach (PCB) and employee mental health is moderated by the cognitive-motivational pattern of overcommitment (OC). Linking the psychological contract approach to the effort-reward imbalance model, this study examines PCB as an imbalance in employment relationships that acts as a psychosocial stressor in the work environment and is associated with stress reactions that in turn negatively affect mental health.

METHODS

The analyses were based on a sample of 3,667 employees who participated in a longitudinal linked employer-employee survey representative of large organizations (with at least 500 employees who are subject so social security contributions) in Germany. Fixed-effects regression models, including PCB and OC, were estimated for employee mental health, and interaction effects between PCB and OC were assessed.

RESULTS

The multivariate fixed-effects regression analyses showed a significant negative association between PCB and employee mental health. The results also confirmed that OC does indeed significantly increase the negative effect of PCB on mental health and that OC itself has a significant and negative effect on mental health.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that employees characterized by the cognitive-motivational pattern of OC are at an increased risk of developing poor mental health if they experience PCB compared with employees who are not overly committed to their work. The results of this study support the assumption that psychosocial work stressors play an important role in employee mental health.

Burnout among Teachers

The aim of this study was to explore students’ and teachers’ perceptions of teacher burnout in relation to the occurrence of disruptive student classroom behaviour and the teachers’ competence to cope with this kind of behaviour. First, the study shows that the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Coping with Disruptive Behaviour Scale and the Perceived Disruptive Behaviour Scale could be adapted to students to report perceived burnout symptoms among their teachers, the occurrence of perceived disruptive student behaviour and the students’ perception of their teachers’ competence to cope with disruptive student behaviour. Second, students’ perceptions do not differ according to their age. Third, we found that there was a significant difference between the perceptions of male and female students in respect of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, but not in respect of personal accomplishment. Fourth, according to the students’ perceptions, a considerable percentage of variance in each of the three burnout dimensions was explained by teachers’ competence to cope with student disruptive behaviour and perceived disruptive student behaviour. Finally, with respect to the teachers’ self-reports, it appeared that teachers’ and students’ reports differed significantly with respect to depersonalization, personal accomplishment and the competence to cope with disruptive student behaviour. The hierarchical regression analyses of the teachers’ data showed that the competence to cope with disruptive student behaviour significantly contributed to depersonalization and personal accomplishment, whereas the teachers’ age was significantly related with personal accomplishment.

Although the students’ perceptions and the teachers’ self-reports on the teachers’ well-being differed on some dimensions, the students’ information may contribute valid information on some aspects of teachers’ mental health and classroom processes.

Burnout and the work-family interface

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine whether work-to-family conflict (WFC) and work-to-family enrichment (WFE) predicted burnout in working mothers using conservation of resources theory. The authors also examined whether these relationships varied between sole and partnered working mothers.

Design/methodology/approach

– In total, 516 partnered and 107 sole mothers in paid employment completed an online survey twice, six months apart.

Findings

– WFC was significantly positively related to burnout, and WFE significantly negatively related to burnout. Marital status moderated the inverse relationship between WFE and personal burnout, and this relationship was significant for partnered mothers only.

Research limitations/implications

– Limitations include self-report data, and the sample being highly educated thereby limiting generalizability.

Practical implications

– Providing an enriching and supportive work environment may be an important strategy for minimizing burnout in mothers, particularly for sole mothers.

Social implications

– Employed sole mother’s risks of burnout may be higher than for other mothers even when experiencing WFE, which can have implications for their functioning and for family well-being.

Originality/value

– This two-wave study is the first to highlight that sole mothers, who are at risk of greater socio-economic disadvantages, do not benefit from WFE to the same degree as partnered mothers. Future work-family and burnout research should further examine differences based family structure.

Classroom risks and resources: Teacher burnout, classroom quality and children's adjustment in high needs elementary schools

The current paper presents two related sets of findings on the classroom context in high needs elementary schools. First, we investigated change over one school term in teacher burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, personal accomplishment) and classroom quality (emotional and instructional support, organization) and assessed the degree to which burnout and classroom quality co-varied over the term with each other and with aggregate externalizing behaviors (average child externalizing behaviors in the classroom). These analyses describe the classroom context in which the children are nested. Second, we examined change over one school term in children's social adjustment (relationship quality with teachers and friends) and academic adjustment (school engagement, literacy skills) and assessed how adjustment co-varied over time with child externalizing behaviors and was predicted by teacher burnout, classroom quality and aggregate externalizing behaviors. These models were tested with a sample of low-income, ethnically diverse children in kindergarten to grade 3 and their teachers. The children and teachers were assessed three times over one school term. Personal accomplishment co-varied positively with overall classroom quality. Reciprocally, classroom organization co-varied positively with overall teacher burnout. Aggregate externalizing behaviors co-varied positively with depersonalization and negatively with personal accomplishment and overall classroom quality, including emotional support and organization. In turn, teacher burnout interacted with aggregate externalizing behaviors to predict change in child social and academic adjustment. Alternatively, classroom quality interacted with aggregate and child externalizing behaviors to predict change in child social and academic adjustment.

Adaptation and Validation of the Psychological Need Thwarting Scale in Spanish Physical Education Teachers

Drawing from self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2002), the aim of the study was to adapt and validate a Spanish version of the Psychological Need Thwarting Scale (PNTS; Bartholomew, Ntoumanis, Ryan, & Thørgersen-Ntoumani, 2011) in the educational domain. Psychological need thwarting and burnout were assessed in 619 physical education teachers from several high schools in Spain. Overall, the adapted measure demonstrated good content, factorial (χ2/gl = 4.87, p < .01, CFI = .95, IFI = .96, TLI = .94, RMSEA = .08, SRMR = .05), and external validity, as well as internal consistency (α ≥ .81) and invariance across gender. Moreover, burnout was strongly predicted by teachers' perceptions of competence (β = .53, p ≤ .01), autonomy (β = .34, p ≤ .01), and relatedness (β = .31, p ≤ .01) need thwarting. In conclusion, these results support the Spanish version of the PNTS as a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the understudied concept of psychological need thwarting in teachers.

Job characteristics, burnout and the relationship with recovery experiences

Orientation: Job characteristics (consisting of job demands and job resources) have an impact on burnout. However, it is unclear whether recovery strategies might influence this relationship amongst staff members at a tertiary education institution in South Africa.Research purpose: The primary objective of this study was to determine whether recovery strategies influence and moderate the relationship between job demands, job resources and burnout. Motivation for the study: Recovery strategies may influence and buffer the negative effects of job demands on burnout and may influence and enhance the positive influence of job resources on burnout. Research approach, design and method: Cross-sectional data was collected amongst employees at a tertiary education institution (N = 366).Main findings: The results of the structural equation modelling revealed significant positive relationships between work pressure, emotional demands and a lack of social support with burnout. Also, work pressure was related to all four recovery strategies and different job resources were associated with different recovery strategies. Finally, mastery experiences were the only recovery strategy that significantly predicted burnout. Practical/managerial implications: Employees are encouraged to engage in recovery strategies that will reduce their burnout levels, especially mastery experiences. Contribution/value-add: This study adds to the body of literature on effort recovery in South Africa. Very little empirical research has been done in South Africa regarding the use and benefits of different recovery strategies. Recommendations for future research are made.