Personal factors of burnout syndrome in teachers in the framework of self-determination theory

Abstract

Teachers perform numerous professional roles that can serve as the source of prolonged stress and lead to the occurrence of burnout syndrome. This research was aimed at studying the personal factors of burnout, using self-determination theory as a starting point. We used a sample of 200 teachers to study the following: the level of satisfaction of basic psychological needs at work, the prominence of self-orientations and the presence of burnout syndrome. We also studied whether these variables were significant burnout predictors, as well as whether there was a difference in the pattern of personal burnout predictors in primary school and university teachers. The following instruments were used: the scale of satisfaction of basic psychological needs at work, the ego function questionnaire, the scale of burnout syndrome in teachers. The results point to a relatively moderate satisfaction of all psychological needs, a higher level of integrated self-regulation as well as the medium presence of ego-invested and impersonal orientations. On the whole, teachers showed low burnout. Significant burnout predictors include an integrated self and the need for autonomy (university teachers) and an impersonal self (primary school teachers). This implies that teachers whose psychological needs are satisfied and who have an integrated self are less susceptible to burnout. The findings are discussed from the viewpoint of the self-determination theory, their educational implications and the possibility of preventing work burnout in education workers. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 179002: Indikatori i modeli usklađivanja porodičnih i poslovnih uloga]

Keywords

• self-determination theory
• basic psychological needs
• self-orientation
• burnout syndrome
• teachers