Analysis of the factors influencing job burnout: Empirical evidence from Spain

Abstract

In all professions, workers are exposed to manifestations of stress that if maintained, can result in the Burnout Syndrome, or Professional Exhaustion Syndrome, a psychosocial phenomenon that has increased in the last decades and which consists of a series of physical, emotional and behavioral symptoms. The present study sought to contribute to a growing body of research examining which variables affect the aforementioned syndrome. In order to accomplish this, a questionnaire, created ad hoc, was administered and empirical data was collected from 230 Spanish secondary school teachers. This data was tested with difference testing and the multiple regression method. The results revealed that there were more differences in burnout regarding the work-related variables than the sociodemographic ones. Specifically, the working situation and the relations with their colleagues and the board of the center were found to have a significant influence on burnout. The implications of findings for administrators are also discussed.