Prevention of staff burnout in humanities teachers of higher educational institutions

Abstract

In their daily life teachers go through a lot of stress ensuing from abrasive relationships with the administrative staff, colleagues or students, and family conflicts. Long-term exposure to stressors leads to the syndrome of emotional burnout, which can be avoided is preventive care is taken. The aim of this study was to identify burnout symptoms in the humanities teachers working for higher educational institutions and to propose adequate preventive measure. We recruited 1,489 teachers who were offered to anonymously fill out a questionnaire and also collected information about their health from sickness leaves. Statistical analysis included calculation of means, their errors, intensive and extensive variables, and confidence intervals. Two in three teachers reported fatigue, regular back/chest pain, and headache. The use of a scoring scale allowed us to conclude that a lot of respondents (43.2%) had severe burnout symptoms. Every second teacher demonstrated poor health awareness. To prevent staff burnout, measures should be taken aimed at stimulating a positive attitude to medical care, improving health literacy and motivating teachers to lead a healthy lifestyle.