Abstract

ORAMAS VIERA, Arlene; ALMIRALL HERNANDEZ, Pedro  and  FERNANDEZ, Ivis. Occupational Stress and Burnout Among Venezuelan Teachers.. Salud de los Trabajadores [online]. 2007, vol.15, n.2, pp.71-87. ISSN 1315-0138.

The goal of this study was to identify the prevalence of occupational stress and Burnout among teachers, as well as associated factors. This was a cross-sectional study of 885 Venezuelan teachers at 53 schools. Participants answered a Spanish language version of Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educator Survey (MBI-Ed), a Teachers’ Stress Inventory for occupational stressors and a stress symptoms questionnaire. Emotional exhaustion was the most prevalent dimension of Burnout. The best predictors of emotional exhaustion were age and perceived occupational stress. For depersonalization the best predictors were perceived occupational stress and gender (male teachers). The occupational factors associated with increasing stress were workload, student-related factors, low salary, and inadequate resources (materials, equipment and facilities) to do their jobs. Stress-related symptoms were present in the three dimensions of Burnout. These results confirm the emotional character of Burnout, it´s occupational origins and physiological correlates.

Keywords : Occupational stress; Burnout syndrome; Teachers.