Occupational strain and coping strategies: The effects on burnout in a group of teachers

This paper reports a study of 167 secondary school teachers from 6 roman secondary schools that focuses on job characteristics and personality variables as predictors of the burnout dimensions. We tested: 1) the interactive assumption of the Karasek (1979) Job Demand Control model (JD-C); 2) the possible improvements of the model with including coping individual strategies (Task, Emotion, Avoidance). Hierarchical regression analysis results partly support the JD-C hypothesis by finding one of three assumed interaction effects. More specifically the demand-control interaction was found in the prediction of emotional exhaustion; depersonalization and personal accomplishment were accounted by the main effects both of demands and of control. With respect coping strategies action results showed three way interactions (demands X control X coping) of emotion and of avoidance which separately account emotional exhaustion, and of avoidance explaining depersonalization. In conclusion results demonstrated the need to include the personality variables role in the JD-C model.