Burnout among school teachers: quantitative and qualitative results from a follow-up study in southern Sweden

Abstract

Background Teachers are at high risk of stress-related disorders. This longitudinal study aimed to (a) identify which occupational, sociodemographic and life-style factors and self-efficacy at baseline that were of importance for burnout, (b) explore associations between changes in the studied factors versus changes in burnout, and (c) by interviews increase the understanding of perceived job demands among teachers. Methods A cohort of 310 Swedish teachers in school-years 4–9 responded to a questionnaire of occupational, sociodemographic and life-style factors, self-efficacy and burnout, at baseline and at follow-up (mean 30 months later). A combined measure with four levels of burnout was crafted, based on exhaustion, cynicism and professional efficacy (Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey). Quantitative data were analysed with multiple ordinal regression, and qualitative data were analysed with content analysis of interview responses from a subgroup of the teachers ( n = 81). Results The occurrence of high burnout (level 2 and 3 combined) were similar at baseline and follow-up (14% vs. 15%). However, many teachers fluctuated between the levels of burnout (28% increased and 24% decreased). Burnout at baseline was of importance for change of work or being off duty at follow up. In the multi-exposure model, low self-efficacy [OR 0.42; CI 0.26–0.68] and high job demands [OR 1.97; CI 1.02–3.8] were the strongest explanatory variables. Low self-efficacy remained as the strongest explanatory factor after adjustment for burnout at baseline. Increased job demands during follow-up was associated with an increased level of burnout [OR 3.41; CI 1.73–6.69], whereas increased decision latitude was associated with a decreased level of burnout [OR 0.51; CI 0.30–0.87]. Two major categories of demands emerged in the qualitative analysis; i.e. too high workload and a sense of inadequacy. Conclusions A substantial proportion of teachers showed signs of burnout at both occasions. Low self-efficacy and high job demands was of importance for burnout, and changes in burnout was further associated with changes in decision latitude. The results points to the need of actions on individual, organizational and a societal levels. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-019-6972-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The impact of occupational and personal factors on musculoskeletal pain - A cohort study of female nurses, sonographers and teachers.

“…The assistant nurses reported the highest scores in physical activity and lifting at baseline [13] and the teachers reported the highest scores in most of the psychosocial dimensions [13]. The teachers may bene t from actions that reduce the demands placed on them, for example, improved organisation and fewer administrative tasks [16]. Measures to reduce the time pressure may be bene cial in all the occupational categories investigated in this study.…”

“…The work tasks of the sonographers is, to a high degree, characterized by prolonged sitting in constrained postures [15], while the physical workload among the teachers is varied, and physically relatively light. While time constraints and adverse psychosocial working conditions may be experienced by all ve occupational groups, mental strain is particularly high among teachers [13,16,17]. Hence, the present study population consists of females in common professions in the public sector, with a broad variety of occupational exposures.…”

Exploring Six Muslim Teachers’ Coping Strategies in Overcoming Mental Illness

“…Many teachers have been reported to have a high degree of stress and burnout (Manju, 2018;Arvidsson et al, 2019), but some may find satisfaction in working with children, variation and unpredictability, cooperation and teamwork, and autonomy, as discovered by Skaalvik and Skaalvik (2015). The teacher respondents in their study were happy to see children learn, and found contentment in helping them with school learning.…”

The impact of occupational and personal factors on musculoskeletal pain - a cohort study of female teachers, nurses and sonographers

“…In contrast, the physical workload among the teachers is varied and physically relatively light. While time-pressure and adverse psychosocial working conditions may be present in all of the five occupational groups, the mental strain is particularly high among the teachers [19,30,31]. Hence, these occupational groups were exposed to working conditions that previously have been recognized as risk factors for musculoskeletal pain, concerning ergonomic- [4,32,33] and psychosocial factors [8][9].…”