Burnout and job stress in a local government: The moderating effect of sense of coherence

Abstract

The objective of this research was to establish the relationship between burnout and job stress, and to determine whether sense of coherence moderates the effects of job stress on burnout of employees in a local government. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The sample consisted of 270 employees of a local government. The Maslach Burnout Inventory, Job Stress Indicator and Orientation to Life Questionnaire were administered. Canonical analysis showed that a weak sense of coherence combined with stress because of job demands and a lack of resources were associated with all three components of burnout. Structural equation modelling showed that sense of coherence moderated the effect of job stress on exhaustion. Cynicism mediated the effect of exhaustion on professional efficacy. Opsomming Die doelstelling van hierdie navorsing was om die verwantskap tussen psigiese uitbranding en werkstres te bepaal en om te bepaal of koherensiesin die effek van werkstres op uitbranding by werknemers binne ’n plaaslike owerheid modereer. ’n Eenmalige dwarssnee opname-ontwerp is gebruik. Die steekproef het bestaan uit 270 werknemers van ’n plaaslike owerheid. Die Maslach Uitbrandingsvraelys, die Werkstres-Indikator en die Lewensoriëntasievraelys is afgeneem. Kanoniese analise het getoon dat ’n swak koherensiesin, asook stres a.g.v. hoë werkseise en ’n gebrek aan organisasie- ondersteuning geassosieer was met al drie komponente van uitbranding. Strukturele vergelykingsmodellering het aangetoon dat koherensiesin die effek van werkstres op uitbranding modereer. Sinisme het die effek van uitputting op professionele doeltreffendheid gemedieer.

Keywords

• Burnout
• Job stress
• Local government
• Sense of coherence