The role of aggression and maladjustment in the teacher-student relationship on burnout in secondary school teachers.

Introduction: Multiple studies have examined the individual and socio-demographic variables that can contribute to the development of burnout in teachers. Although the evidence supports that this syndrome is generated through the interaction between the aspects of the organization and those of the person, little attention has been spent on the impact of the teacher-student relationship adjustment and, especially, on the role of violence exercised by students or their families toward secondary school teachers, who seem to be more vulnerable than teaching professionals in general. Objective: To analyze the role of the possible mismatch in the student-teacher relationship, as well as, the physical and verbal violence toward teachers from pupils or their parents, on the professional wear of high school educators. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on a teacher sample (n = 677) in Aragón, Spain, through a questionnaire with socio-demographic data; the "Maslach Burnout Inventory" (MBI), "Areas of Worklife Scale," the "Fears and Rejection in Education Questionnaire" (FREQ), and a list of the possible aggressions received in the development of the teaching activity. Results: While 3.8% of teachers have been a victim of physical attacks, 34.9% have suffered verbal abuse at least once. Although physical violence is extremely rare (and low intensity), verbal victimization or threats are associated with burnout in a highly significant manner, which confirms previous findings about school violence and burnout. Also, FEAR and REJECTION dimensions, defined as discomfort, tension, anxiety, and pressure caused by pupils, which contributed considerably on two dimensions of burnout (emotional exhaustion and cynicism). Different covariates such as maladjustment in the teacher-pupil relationship, violence experienced at work, and complaints received explain the 56.4% variance of exhaustion, 48.8% variance in cynicism, and 35.5% for efficacy. Conclusion: Very different variables can contribute to the development of burnout syndrome, both personal, and organizational variables. Therefore, when designing prevention programs in each work environment, the possible areas of risk and the interactions between them must be considered.

Areas of work-life in Spanish hostelry professionals: explanatory power on burnout dimensions.

BACKGROUND: Researchers have studied for decades workplace stress and burnout to identify their relationship to health and wellness. This research has focused on stress levels in people, as well as on environmental and personal factors that contribute to experiencing stress or burnout. In addition to the burnout measurement questionnaires (MBI-GS), Leiter and Maslach designed a model to evaluate the areas of work environment that relate to this construct (Areas of Worklife Scale-AWLS). The goal of the present research was to analyze the psychometric properties of a Spanish translation of the MBI (GS) and the AWLS with a Spanish-speaking population. This work makes a substantial contribution by addressing the need to use validated measures and methods when exploring the positive and negative aspects of organizations. These conditions provide a means to accurately evaluate the impact of interventions aimed to address stress and burnout. METHOD: Cross-sectional study with self-report measures. The sample was comprised of 452 managers and employees (hotels, restaurants, catering) of Aragón (Spain). There were approximately equal numbers of women and men (45,4% vs. 54,6%). The average age of participants was 36.6 years (SD = 10.03). A battery of questionnaires was used: Socio-demographic and work characteristics, Scale of stress and health symptoms, Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), Areas of Worklife Scale (AWLS). RESULTS: The results showed optimal psychometric properties in both questionnaires, especially in terms of the predictive capacity of the AWLS in each of the MBI-GS dimensions. CONCLUSIONS: The best explained dimension is that of emotional exhaustion. The manageable load variable is the one that most contributes to predicting burnout levels. For future interventions, the results confirm the need to verify the levels of each area of work, in order to focus on the most deteriorated ones.

Value congruence, control, sense of community and demands as determinants of burnout syndrome among hospitality workers.

Employees working in the hospitality industry are constantly exposed to occupational stressors that may lead employees into experiencing burnout syndrome. Research addressing the interactive effects of control, community and value congruence to alleviate the impact of workplace demands on experiencing burnout is relatively limited. The present study examined relationships among control, community and value congruence, workplace demands and the three components of burnout. A sample of 418 employees working in a variety of hospitality associations including restaurants and hotels in Spain were recruited. Moderation analyses and linear regressions analyzed the predictive power of control, community and value congruence as moderating variables. Results indicate that control, community and value congruence were successful buffers in the relationships between workplace demands and the burnout dimensions. The present findings offer suggestions for future research on potential moderating variables, as well as implications for reducing burnout among hospitality employees.

The role of aggressions suffered by healthcare workers as predictors of burnout.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To examine the prevalence of aggression against healthcare professionals and to determine the possible impact that violent episodes have on healthcare professionals in terms of loss of enthusiasm and involvement towards work. The objective was to analyse the percentage of occupational assault against professionals' aggression in different types of healthcare services, differentiating between physical and verbal aggression as a possible variable in detecting burnout in doctors and nursing professionals. BACKGROUND: Leiter and Maslach have explored a double process model of burnout not only based on exhaustion by overload, but also based on personal and organisational value conflicts (community, rewards or values). Moreover, Whittington has obtained conclusive results about the possible relationship between violence and burnout in mental health nurses. DESIGN: A retrospective study was performed in three hospitals and 22 primary care centres in Spain (n = 1·826). METHODS: Through different questionnaires, we have explored the relationship between aggression suffered by healthcare workers and burnout. RESULTS: Eleven percent of respondents had been physically assaulted on at least one occasion, whilst 34·4% had suffered threats and intimidation on at least one occasion and 36·6% had been subjected to insults. Both forms of violence, physical and non-physical aggression, showed significant correlations with symptoms of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and inefficacy). CONCLUSIONS: The survey showed evidence of a double process: (1) by which excess workload helps predict burnout, and (2) by which a mismatch in the congruence of values, or interpersonal conflict, contributes in a meaningful way to each of the dimensions of burnout, adding overhead to the process of exhaustion-cynicism-lack of realisation. Relevance to clinical practice. Studies indicate that health professionals are some of the most exposed to disorders steaming from psychosocial risks and a high comorbidity: anxiety, depression, etc. There is a clear need for accurate instruments of evaluation to detect not only the burnout but also the areas that cause it. Professional exhaustion caused by aggression or other factors can reflect a deterioration in the healthcare relationship.