Longitudinal Associations Between Core Self-Evaluation, Vital Exhaustion and Hair Cortisol in Teachers and the Mediating Effects of Resignation Tendency

Abstract

Work-related stress appears to be especially high among teachers. However, most research on teacher stress relies exclusively on teachers’ self-reports. Little is known about the physiological correlates of affective stress in teachers. This longitudinal study investigates the relationship between core self-evaluation and adverse psychological and physiological stress outcomes in 42 teachers. Self-report questionnaires were used to assess core self-evaluation, vital exhaustion, and resignation tendency. The concentration of cortisol was assessed using hair samples. One year after the initial measurement, vital exhaustion and hair cortisol were assessed again. Path-analytic mediational models showed that core self-evaluation strongly predicted vital exhaustion, and resignation tendency partially mediated this relationship. However, core self-evaluation did not predict hair cortisol concentration. These findings suggest that core self-evaluation plays a crucial role in preventing vital exhaustion among teachers. A positive core self-evaluation seems beneficial for teachers’ primary and secondary appraisal and an essential resource for the long-term prevention of self-reported vital exhaustion.

Teachers' perception of aggressive student behavior through the lens of chronic worry and resignation, and its association with psychophysiological stress: An observational study

“…Furthermore, we demonstrated that these avoidant coping styles were associated with an increased level of student aggression as perceived by the teachers. This finding points in a similar direction as studies showing that teachers' unfavorable personality traits, like neuroticism and poor teacher self-efficacy beliefs (Evers et al, 2004 ; Kokkinos et al, 2005 ; Tsouloupas et al, 2010 ), low core-self-evaluation (including global self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, emotional stability, and internal locus of control; Schneider et al, 2022 ) and dysfunctional coping styles (Chan, 1998 ; van Dick & Wagner, 2001 ), are associated with higher burnout levels.…”

Predictors of Psychological Strain and Allostatic Load in Teachers: Examining the Long-Term Effects of Biopsychosocial Risk and Protective Factors Using a LASSO Regression Approach

“…Some studies suggest that CSE may act as a protective factor by lowering an individual's risk of burnout [24][25][26][27]. Furthermore, CSE is key to preventing stress consequences such as vital exhaustion (see below) among teachers [28].…”

“…Furthermore, chronic stress can also be assessed through hair cortisol. Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) is a relatively new biomarker of long-term cumulative chronic physiological stress exposure [28,75], with the amount of cortisol in the hair providing information about how much a person is burdened by persistent stress. The longer stress lasts, the longer an increased concentration of cortisol circulates in the body, resulting in an increased accumulation of cortisol in the hair.…”

Fur Cortisol in French Bulldogs with Different Manifestations of Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome

“…Chronic stress can be assessed in several ways. In human medicine, for example, specially designed questionnaires can be used for this purpose, which are answered by the patients [16]. Furthermore, the physical consequences of chronic stress can be determined, for example, which are associated with the release of inflammatory mediators and other reactions of the immune system in the body [17].…”