In e na ional Jou nal o
En i onmen al Resea ch
and Public Heal h
A icle
Pe cei ed S ess and Indica o s o Bu nou in Teache s
a Po uguese Highe Educa ion Ins i u ions (HEI)
Rena a Teles 1,2 , An onio Valle 2, Susana Rod íguez 2, Isabel Piñei o 2and
Bibiana Reguei o 3,*
1Clinical Psychologis , 3700-025 São João da Madei a, Po ugal; [email p o ec ed]
2Psychology Depa amen , Uni e si y o A Co uña, 15001 A Co uña, Spain; [email p o ec ed] (A.V.);
[email p o ec ed] (S.R.); [email p o ec ed] (I.P.)
3Pedagogy and Didac ics Depa amen , Uni e si y o San iago de Compos ela,
15705 San iago de Compos ela, Spain
*Co espondence: bibiana. eguei [email p o ec ed]
Recei ed: 22 Feb ua y 2020; Accep ed: 5 May 2020; Published: 7 May 2020
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Abs ac :
The aim o his s udy was o examine he phenomena o bu nou and pe cei ed s ess in
eache s a Highe Educa ion Ins i u ions, as his p o essional class is one o he mos a ec ed by high
le els o s ess. A sample o 520 uni e si y eache s was used, o which 339 (65.2%) we e women.
The Maslach Bu nou In en o y (MBI) was used o measu e bu nou , and he Pe cei ed S ess Scale
(PSS) was used o measu e pe cei ed s ess. A sociodemog aphic da a ques ionnai e p oduced by he
au ho s was also applied, which consis ed o ques ions abou age, sex, expe ience in he eaching
p o ession and he pa icipan s’ eaching a eas. The esul s indica ed ha uni e si y eache s o e
60 yea s old exhibi ed lowe le els o pe cei ed s ess, as did eache s wi h mo e eaching expe ience
(30 yea s o mo e), and hose wi h less expe ience (less han 10 yea s). Women exhibi ed highe
le els o pe cei ed s ess han men. Women also sco ed highe le els o Emo ional Exhaus ion in he
bu nou dimensions, whe eas eache s will less expe ience (unde 10 yea s) and eache s wi h mo e
expe ience (mo e han 30 yea s) had he lowes sco es in his dimension. Th ough an examina ion
o he ela ion be ween pe cei ed s ess and he bu nou dimensions, we concluded ha pe cei ed
s ess was di ec ly p opo ional o emo ional exhaus ion and depe sonaliza ion; and was in e sely
p opo ional o pe sonal accomplishmen . A o al o 31.3% o he a iance in bu nou was explained
by pe cei ed s ess.
Keywo ds:
pe cei ed s ess; bu nou synd ome; emo ional exhaus ion; depe sonaliza ion; pe sonal
accomplishmen ; highe educa ion p o esso
1. In oduc ion
Nowadays, uni e si y eache s mus in e ac cons an ly wi h s uden s, hey mus main ain high
le els o p o essional pe o mance, and hey ha e o mee goals and comply wi h deadlines a he same
ime as deli e ing egula cu icula obliga ions and ul illing o he demands o he job. These a e
all ac o s ha inc ease he s ess o he p o essionals in his g oup. Teaching a he highe educa ion
le el is usually desc ibed as in ol ing a ce ain deg ee o complexi y since i akes place along a iple
axis, in ol ing eaching– esea ch–ex ending and a ec s poli ical, social, in ellec ual, psychological and
pedagogical iewpoin s [1].
In ecen yea s, esea ch on bu nou has aken a pa icula in e es in he academic ield [
2
]. Se e al
esea che s [
3
–
6
] ag ee ha eaching is one o he p o essions mos a ec ed by bu nou Synd ome,
wi h many cases p esen ing c i ical le els o s ess. Fo his eason, i is conside ed a high- isk
In . J. En i on. Res. Public Heal h 2020,17, 3248; doi:10.3390/ije ph17093248 www.mdpi.com/jou nal/ije ph
In . J. En i on. Res. Public Heal h 2020,17, 3248 2 o 11
p o essional class [
6
]; eache s a e he mos commonly s udied g oup in he bu nou li e a u e, gi en
ha hey p esen eco d le els o exhaus ion and a igue [7,8].
Pin o, Lima and L
ó
pes [
9
] epo ed wo ying da a abou p o essional malaise, poin ing ou ha
54% o he esponden s conside ed he ac i i y o eache s o be e y o ex emely s ess ul, 6.3%
showed high le els o bu nou and 30.4% we e a isk o p og essing o a “P e-Bu nou ” condi ion.
Di e en au ho s ha e app oached Bu nou Synd ome (BS) using di e en models [
3
] such as he
Maslach model [
10
]. In his s udy, we chose he Maslach model, which cha ac e izes he synd ome in
h ee dimensions which a e concep ually dis inc bu empi ically ela ed: Emo ional Exhaus ion (EE),
Depe sonaliza ion (DP) and a low sense o Pe sonal Accomplishmen (PA) [10].
Emo ional Exhaus ion a ises as emo ional esou ces a e deple ed; eache s eel hey a e no longe
able o gi e o hemsel es a a psychological le el. Depe sonaliza ion occu s when eache s de elop
nega i e cynical a i udes and eelings abou hei s uden s. Reduced Pe sonal Accomplishmen e e s
o he endency o eache s o e alua e hemsel es nega i ely, pa icula ly in ega d o hei wo k
wi h s uden s [11].
The e o e, he well-being o highe educa ion eache s is one o he key aspec s o he success
o highe educa ion ins i u ions and, consequen ly, o he success o s uden s. This ac is he eason
unde lying he ele ance o analyzing he p e alence o pe cei ed s ess and bu nou in eache s,
as well as lea ning abou he p oblems o some isk ac o s di ec ly associa ed wi h i . Exhaus ion is
ex emely disabling and dis essing in he li e o e e y eache , educing hei abili y o wo k, de elop
expe ise, and sha e hei knowledge. Howe e , no enough is known abou his p oblem.
1.1. Pe cei ed S ess Rela ed o Bu nou Dimensions
The ela ionships be ween pe cei ed s ess and he dimensions o bu nou ha e been in es iga ed
in many s udies [
12
]. Se e al ha e demons a ed signi ican ela ionships be ween pe cei ed s ess
and he h ee subscales.
Smi h’s p oposed heo e ical amewo k has ecei ed subs an ial suppo and has been used as
he basis o much o he con empo a y esea ch on bu nou . Smi h’s model asse s ha pe sonal and
si ua ional cha ac e is ics in luence he pe cep ion o s ess, and pe cep ion o s ess, in u n, in luences
he le el o bu nou [12].
To be e illus a e wha esea ch has demons a ed in his a ea, a en ion mus be gi en o he
s udy by a g oup o Mexican esea che s who concluded ha , in uni e si y eache s, pe cei ed s ess
was signi ican ly co ela ed wi h he dimensions o Bu nou Synd ome [13].
Mo a Ca doso e al. [
4
] su eyed 2108 Po uguese uni e si y eache s om all o e he coun y o
assess hei s ess le els. The esul s o he s udy showed ha 34.8% o he esponden s p esen ed signs o
emo ional exhaus ion, 84.2% had signs and symp oms o a lack o p o essional accomplishmen , and 6.3%
exhibi ed depe sonaliza ion. The s udy also showed ha 6.3% o 34.8% o he pa icipan s could ha e
signs and symp oms cha ac e is ic o Bu nou Synd ome, exhibi ing mode a e o se e e bu nou .
Hend ix, Ace edo and Hebe [
14
] ound pe cei ed s ess o be a signi ican p edic o o emo ional
exhaus ion. Emo ional exhaus ion has consis en ly been epo ed as a p ima y ac o in bu nou
because o eelings o despai , isola ion, exhaus ion, and being o e whelmed.
Due o cu en policies, uni e si y eache s ha e been inc easingly equi ed o ake on mo e asks,
unc ions and ac i i ies in addi ion o hei egula eaching obliga ions. Despi e eache s epo ing
lowe le els o emo ional exhaus ion when some o hei ime is spen pe o ming adminis a i e
du ies han when wo king in di ec con ac wi h s uden s [
14
], hese ac o s, associa ed wi h pe sonal
ac o s, inc ease le els o Emo ional Exhaus ion. This can igge a p olonged s ess esponse, o
acu e s ess, and he possible de elopmen o emo ional exhaus ion, which i i pe sis s, can lead o
Bu nou Synd ome.
The emaining bu nou dimensions, Pe sonal Accomplishmen and Depe sonaliza ion, ha e also
been shown o demons a e signi ican ela ionships o pe cei ed s ess [14].
In . J. En i on. Res. Public Heal h 2020,17, 3248 3 o 11
F om his pe spec i e, e e y hing poin s o pe cei ed s ess as one o he mos impo an a iables
in bu nou .
1.2. Mode a ing Va iables o Bu nou Dimensions
As no ed by Vallejo-Ma
í
n, Aja and Plaza [
15
], he e a e a ious mode a ing a iables ha can
a ec he expe ience o bu nou and he pe cei ed s ess. These include sex and age, which ha e been
assessed in p e ious esea ch, bu wi hou a clea e ec and wi h con adic o y esul s.
In ega ds o sex, a ious s udies ha e demons a ed i s clea in luence in pe cei ed s ess. Mos
esea ch has indica ed highe le els o pe cei ed s ess in women han in men [
16
–
18
]. When i comes
o bu nou dimensions, i is no so clea . In one s udy wi h Tu kish p e-school eache s, which also
used he Maslach Bu nou In en o y (MBI), i was epo ed ha women p esen ed highe le els in
Depe sonaliza ion and Emo ional Exhaus ion [
19
]. Howe e , o he s udies ha e no p oduced he
same indings. Fo example, Maslach and Jackson [
10
] and Ma enco-Escude os e al. [
20
] s a ed ha
men we e mo e likely o de elop Depe sonaliza ion. P e ious esea ch has also shown ha men end
o epo sligh ly highe sco es on depe sonaliza ion han women [21].
Hend ix, Ace edo, and Hebe [
14
] ound ha Emo ional Exhaus ion was epo ed o be highe
in women and in olde indi iduals. Age seems o be a signi ican a iable o s udy. Guedes and
Gaspa [
22
] no ed ha eache s aged 50 o o e we e mo e equen ly a ec ed by bu nou han eache s
who we e unde 30. Fu he mo e, highe le els o Emo ional Exhaus ion and Depe sonaliza ion we e
obse ed in olde p o essionals.
In summa y, because he p o essional class o uni e si y eache s has a high p opensi y o de elop
signs and symp oms o s ess, we eel he need o his s udy o imp o e ou unde s anding o bu nou
in he Po uguese con ex . The de elopmen o esea ch, such as he one p esen ed he e, can con ibu e
o p o iding a iew o he map o occupa ional heal h and sa e y a wo k o Po uguese highe
educa ion eache s. This knowledge will p o ide he basis o designing p e en ion and in e en ion
p oposals wi h he eache s who a e mos a isk o de eloping bu nou o a oid he s ong impac i
can ha e on he eaching ac i i y and he s uden s’ lea ning p ocesses.
The s udy has an o e all objec i e and wo speci ic goals. The gene al objec i e is o unde s and
he phenomena o bu nou and pe cei ed s ess in Po uguese highe educa ion eache s. The i s
speci ic goal is o examine he di e ences in pe cei ed s ess acco ding o he sociodemog aphic
a iables included in he s udy (sex, age, eaching expe ience, and knowledge a ea) o look a he
ex en o he ela ionships be ween hese a iables and pe cei ed s ess. The second speci ic goal is o
examine he ela ionship be ween pe cei ed s ess and he h ee dimensions o bu nou : Emo ional
Exhaus ion, Depe sonaliza ion, and Pe sonal Accomplishmen .
We ha e o mula ed he ollowing hypo heses:
H1:
We expec o ind s a is ically signi ican di e ences in pe cei ed s ess acco ding o he sociodemog aphic
a iables, such as sex, age, and eaching expe ience.
H2:
We expec o ind s a is ically signi ican ela ions be ween pe cei ed s ess and he h ee bu nou subscales.
2. Ma e ials and Me hods
2.1. Pa icipan s and P ocedu e
The sample was d awn om he popula ion o he eache s om Highe Educa ion Ins i u ions in
Po ugal (n=32,346). The sampling ollowed a simple andom me hod, based on an exhaus i e and
up- o-da e da abase o all HEIs in Po ugal and hei eaching s a a he ime o he s udy. A o al
o 524 ques ionnai es we e ecei ed. O hose, 4 we e immedia ely elimina ed o being incomple e
o con aining inco ec in o ma ion. The inal sample comp ised 520 esponden s. Table 1shows he
dis ibu ion o he pa icipan s in e ms o a ious signi ican a iables.
In . J. En i on. Res. Public Heal h 2020,17, 3248 4 o 11
Table 1. Dis ibu ion o pa icipan s.
Sex n(%)
Men 339 (65.2%)
Women 181 (34.8%)
Pa icipan s’ Age n(%)
Unde 40 104 (20%)
40 o 49 197 (37.9%)
50 o 59 182 (35%)
O e 60 37 (7.1%)
Yea s o Teaching Expe ience n(%)
Less han 10 117 (22.5%)
10 o 19 210 (40.4%)
20 o 29 143 (27.5%)
30 o mo e 50 (9.6%)
Knowledge A eas n(%)
Social Sciences 158 (30.4%)
Heal h Sciences 139 (26.7%)
Technological Sciences 124 (23.8%)
A s and Humani ies 76 (14.6%)
O he s 23 (4.4%)
Uni e si y Type n(%)
Public 396 (76.2%)
P i a e 124 (23.8%)
Geog aphical A ea n(%)
No h 216 (41.5%)
Cen e 159 (30.6%)
Sou h 145 (27.9%)
The su ey and he wo scales we e emailed o all HEI eache s in Po ugal, wi h a eques ha
hey be comple ed and e u ned. I ook esponden s app oxima ely 30 min o comple e he applica ion.
Pa icipan s we e in o med ha he e we e no igh o w ong answe s, ha hei pe sonal da a was
con iden ial and would no be used in esea ch o publica ions, which would only include quan i a i e
and s a is ical da a. Pa icipan s we e also asked o answe all ques ions hones ly, as he aim o he
esea ch was o unde s and he gene al s a e o bu nou in highe educa ion eache s in Po ugal.
The s udy was conduc ed acco ding o he guidelines o he E hics Commi ee a he Uni e si y o A
Co uña, Spain (h ps://www.udc.es/en/in es igacion/e ica/), wi h w i en in o med consen om all
pa icipan s, as es ablished in he Helsinki Decla a ion.
2.2. Ins umen s
The ins umen s used in he s udy we e he Maslach Bu nou In en o y [
23
] and he pe cei ed
s ess Scale [
9
]. Au ho iza ion was sough o he use o bo h ques ionnai es. A hi d ins umen was
added which was a sociodemog aphic ques ionnai e, p epa ed by he au ho s, consis ing o ques ions
abou age (“unde 40”, “40 o 49”, “50 o 59”, “o e 60”), sex (women, men), yea s o expe ience in he
eaching p o ession (“less han 10 yea s”, “10 o 19 yea s”, “20 o 29 yea s”, and “30 yea s o mo e”),
and he knowledge a eas augh (“Social Sciences”, “Heal h Sciences”, “Technological Sciences”, “A s
and Humani ies” and “O he s”).
The Pe cei ed S ess Scale (PSS) used was he e sion ansla ed and adap ed by Mo a-Ca doso,
A a
ú
jo, Ramos, Gonçal es, and Ramos [
4
]. I has 14 i ems wi h esponses gi en on a Like scale
wi h 5 al e na i es, anging om 0 o 4 poin s; 0 =“ne e ”, 1 =“almos ne e ”, 2 =“some imes”,
3=“ e y o en” and 4 =“many imes” (wi h C onbach’s alpha
α
=0.91) ( o example: “In he las
In . J. En i on. Res. Public Heal h 2020,17, 3248 5 o 11
mon h, how o en ha e you el ne ous o s essed?”, “In he las mon h, how o en ha e I had o deal
wi h small i i a ing e en s?”).
The Maslach Bu nou In en o y (MBI) used was also he e sion ansla ed and adap ed by he
Ins i u e o S ess P e en ion and Occupa ional Heal h (IPSSO) [
4
]. This ques ionnai e examines
he h ee dimensions ha add ess he sociopsychological cha ac e is ics o “Bu nou Synd ome”,
namely: emo ional exhaus ion (EE—9 i ems; example, “I eel emo ionally exhaus ed by my wo k”),
pe sonal accomplishmen (PA—8 i ems; example. “I eel ha I deal wi h my s uden s’ p oblems e y
e ec i ely”) and depe sonaliza ion (DP—5 i ems; example, “I eel ha s uden s blame me o some o
hei p oblems”).
Responses o he i ems a e on a 7-poin Like scale, wi h 0 =“ne e ”, 1 =“a ew imes a yea
o less”, 2 =“once a mon h o less”, 3 =“a ew imes a mon h”, 4 =“once a week”, 5 =“a ew imes
a week”, and 6 =“e e y day” (C onbach’s Alpha o Emo ional Exhaus ion
α
=0.92, o Pe sonal
Accomplishmen
α
=0.81, indica o s o in e nal consis ency and o Depe sonaliza ion
α
=0.71,
which indica es subs an ial in e nal consis ency).
2.3. Da a Analysis
The da a we e analyzed in wo s ages. Fi s ly, using Analysis o Va iance (ANOVA), we examined
he di e ences in pe cei ed s ess based on he sociodemog aphic a iables included in he s udy (sex,
age, eaching expe ience, knowledge a ea augh ) o unde s and he ex en o he ela ionships be ween
hese a iables and pe cei ed s ess.
Secondly, using Mul i a ia e Analysis o Co a iance (MANCOVA), we examined he ela ionship
be ween pe cei ed s ess (independen a iable) and he h ee bu nou dimensions: Emo ional
Exhaus ion, Depe sonaliza ion, and Pe sonal Accomplishmen (dependen a iables). Those a iables
which demons a ed s a is ically signi ican ela ionships wi h pe cei ed s ess in he p io analysis o
a iance we e included in he model in o de o con ol o hei e ec s. The independen a iable
(pe cei ed s ess) has h ee le els: Low Pe cei ed S ess: sco es below he 33 d pe cen ile; A e age
Pe cei ed S ess: sco es be ween he 33 d and 66 h pe cen iles; and High Pe cei ed S ess: sco es
abo e he 66 h pe cen ile).
The pa ial e a-squa ed coe icien (
ηp2
) was used as a measu e o e ec size, as i is one o he
mos commonly used p ocedu es in educa ion esea ch [
24
]. The c i e ia se in he classic wo k by
Cohen (1988) we e used o in e p e he e ec sizes. Acco ding o hose c i e ia, an e ec is small when
ηp2
=0.01 (d=0.20), mode a e when
ηp2
=0.059 (d=0.50), and he e ec size is la ge when
ηp2
=0.138
(d=0.80).
3. Resul s
3.1. Di e ences in Pe cei ed S ess Based on Va ious Sociodemog aphic Va iables and Teache s’
P o essional Si ua ions
In e ms o sociodemog aphic a iables, he esul s indica ed s a is ically signi ican di e ences in
pe cei ed s ess depending on a eache ’s age (F
(3516)
=2.49, p<0.05;
ηp2
=0.014), al hough he e ec
size was small. As Table 2shows, he le els o pe cei ed s ess we e ela i ely cons an in eache s
up o 49 yea s o age, and declined beyond ha . Speci ically, hose o e 60 epo ed lowe le els o
pe cei ed s ess.
The e we e s a is ically signi ican di e ences ound in pe cei ed s ess acco ding o sex
(F
(1518)
=8.71, p<0.01;
ηp2
=0.017). Female eache s epo ed signi ican ly highe le els o pe cei ed
s ess compa ed o male eache s, al hough he e ec size was small. The esul s also indica ed
s a is ically signi ican di e ences in pe cei ed s ess depending on he amoun o eaching expe ience
(F
(3516)
=2.90, p<0.05;
ηp2
=0.017). Teache s wi h less han 10 yea s o expe ience and hose wi h
a leas 30 yea s o expe ience epo ed he lowes le els o pe cei ed s ess. Teache s wi h be ween
10 and 29 yea s o expe ience epo ed sligh ly highe le els. Finally, he esul s indica ed ha he e

In . J. En i on. Res. Public Heal h 2020,17, 3248 6 o 11
we e no s a is ically signi ican di e ences in pe cei ed s ess acco ding o he knowledge a eas augh
(F(4515) =0.07, p=0.990; ηp2=0.001), wi h he mean sco es in he di e en a eas being e y simila .
Table 2.
Desc ip i e s a is ics in Pe cei ed S ess depending on sex, age, eaching expe ience and
knowledge a eas augh .
Pe cei ed S ess
Sex M SD
(1) Women 1.93 0.70
(2) Men 1.74 0.73
Pa icipan s’ Age M SD
(1) Unde 40 1.92 0.71
(2) 40 o 49 1.93 0.71
(3) 50 o 59 1.82 0.71
(4) O e 60 1.62 0.72
Teaching Expe ience M SD
(1) Less han 10 yea s 1.77 0.64
(2) 10 o 19 yea s 1.95 0.74
(3) 20 o 29 yea s 1.89 0.71
(4) 30 yea s o mo e 1.68 0.74
Knowledge A eas Taugh M SD
(1) Social Sciences 1.88 0.73
(2) Heal h Sciences 1.85 0.67
(3) Technological Sciences 1.85 0.72
(4) A s and Humani ies 1.89 0.73
(5) O he s 1.88 0.80
Analysis o Va iance (ANOVA) DMS pos hoc analysis: Sex (1–2); Pa icipan s’ age (1–4, 2–4); Teaching expe ience
(1–2, 2–4).
3.2. Di e ences in Bu nou in Rela ion o he Di e en Le els o Pe cei ed S ess (Con olling he E ec o
Co a ia es: Sex, Age, Yea s o Se ice)
A he mul i a ia e le el, con olling o he e ec o sex, age, and expe ience, he esul s
demons a ed s a is ically signi ican di e ences in he bu nou dimensions aken as a whole depending
on pe cei ed s ess (
λWilks
=0.472, F(61022) =77.50; p<0.001,
ηp2
=0.313). Acco ding o he c i e ia
se ou abo e, he e ec size was la ge.
Sex was ound o be signi ican ly ela ed o he h ee dimensions ha make up bu nou when
aken oge he (
λWilks
=0.970, F(3512) =5.27; p<0.001,
ηp2
=0.030), albei wi h a small e ec size.
The e we e s a is ically signi ican di e ences by sex in Emo ional Exhaus ion (F
(1518)
=5.94, p<0.05;
ηp2
=0.011), bu he e we e no sex di e ences in Depe sonaliza ion (F
(1518)
=3.29, p=0.07;
ηp2
=0.006)
o in Pe sonal Accomplishmen (F
(1518)
=0.68, p=0.41;
ηp2
=0.001). In o he wo ds, women seemed o
p esen signi ican ly highe le els o Emo ional Exhaus ion han men (see Table 2).
Teaching expe ience was also ound o be signi ican ly ela ed o he h ee bu nou dimensions
when aken oge he (
λWilks
=0.975, F(3512) =4.37; p<0.01,
ηp2
=0.025), also wi h a small e ec
size. The e we e s a is ically signi ican di e ences in Emo ional Exhaus ion (F
(3516)
=7.78, p<0.001;
ηp2
=0.043) depending on yea s o expe ience. Howe e , he e we e no signi ican di e ences acco ding
o expe ience in Depe sonaliza ion (F
(3516)
=0.20, p=0.893;
ηp2
=0.001) o in Pe sonal Accomplishmen
(F
(3516)
=1.22, p=0.302;
ηp2
=0.007). The lowes sco es in Emo ional Exhaus ion we e epo ed om
eache s wi h less han 10 yea s o mo e han 30 yea s o expe ience o eaching (see Table 3).
In . J. En i on. Res. Public Heal h 2020,17, 3248 7 o 11
Table 3.
Desc ip i e s a is ics in he h ee dimensions o bu nou acco ding o pe cei ed s ess, sex, age
and yea s o se ice o he pa icipan s.
Emo ional
Exhaus ion Depe sonaliza ion Pe sonal
Accomplishmen
Pe cei ed S ess M SD M SD M SD
(1) Low 1.85 0.91 0.59 0.76 5.12 0.80
(2) Medium 2.84 0.95 0.98 0.80 4.65 0.83
(3) High 4.08 1.01 1.59 1.14 4.34 0.84
Sex M SD M SD M SD
(1) Women 3.07 1.33 1.01 0.99 4.67 0.88
(2) Men 2.77 1.32 1.18 1.01 4.73 0.90
Pa icipan s’ age M SD M SD M SD
(1) Unde 40 2.88 1.36 1.28 1.24 4.79 0.84
(2) 40 o 49 3.08 1.34 1.03 0.90 4.66 0.85
(3) 50 o 59 2.99 1.31 1.01 1.02 4.67 0.89
(4) O e 60 2.49 1.26 0.94 0.79 4.65 1.13
Teaching expe ience M SD M SD M SD
(1) Less han 10 yea s 2.53 1.26 1.05 1.16 4.82 0.86
(2) 10 o 19 yea s 3.14 1.33 1.10 0.99 4.68 0.83
(3) 20 o 29 yea s 3.18 1.34 1.06 0.90 4.63 0.93
(4) 30 yea s o mo e 2.66 1.25 0.98 1.11 4.61 1.01
ANOVA DMS pos hoc analysis: EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION: Pe cei ed S ess (1–2, 1–3, 2–3); Sex (1–2);
Teaching expe ience (1–2, 1–3, 2–4, 3–4). DEPERSONALIZATION: Pe cei ed S ess (1–2, 1–3, 2–3). PERSONAL
ACCOMPLISHMENT: Pe cei ed S ess (1–2, 1–3, 2–3).
The age co a iable was no ound o be signi ican ly ela ed o he h ee dimensions making up
bu nou when aken oge he (λWilks =0.990, F(3512) =1.73; p=0.160, ηp2=0.010).
3.2.1. Pe cei ed S ess and Emo ional Exhaus ion
The esul s demons a ed s a is ically signi ican di e ences in Emo ional Exhaus ion acco ding
o he a ious le els o pe cei ed s ess in he esponden s (F
(2517)
=244.17, p<0.001;
ηp2
=0.486),
wi h a la ge e ec size. As Table 3shows, Emo ional Exhaus ion inc eased p og essi ely as he le els o
pe cei ed s ess inc eased. In addi ion, he inc ease in Emo ional Exhaus ion was much mo e ma ked
when he le els o pe cei ed s ess we e high.
3.2.2. Pe cei ed S ess and Depe sonaliza ion
The esul s indica ed ha he e we e s a is ically signi ican di e ences in Depe sonaliza ion
depending on he a ious le els o pe cei ed s ess (F
(2517
)=55.31, p<0.001;
ηp2
=0.176), wi h an
e ec size ha was la ge bu somewha smalle han o Emo ional Exhaus ion. As Table 3shows,
he deg ee o Depe sonaliza ion inc eased p og essi ely as pe cei ed s ess le els inc eased. Howe e ,
he esul s in Depe sonaliza ion we e much lowe han he mean sco es o Emo ional Exhaus ion.
3.2.3. Pe cei ed S ess and Pe sonal Accomplishmen
The esul s also indica ed s a is ically signi ican di e ences in Pe sonal Accomplishmen
depending on he a ious le els o pe cei ed s ess (F
(2517)
=36.64, p<0.001;
ηp2
=0.133), also
wi h a la ge e ec size. As Table 3shows, Pe sonal Accomplishmen dec eased p og essi ely as he
le els o pe cei ed s ess inc eased. In his case, he highes deg ee o Pe sonal Accomplishmen
was in eache s who epo ed he lowes pe cei ed s ess. Con e sely, he lowes le els o Pe sonal
Accomplishmen we e in eache s epo ing he highes le els o pe cei ed s ess.
In . J. En i on. Res. Public Heal h 2020,17, 3248 8 o 11
4. Discussion
Teaching is one o he p o essions ha is mos o en associa ed wi h high le els o s ess due o he
demands o he cu en eaching ole and in he ace o cons an change and he need o inno a ion [
4
].
Teache s a e di e en om o he occupa ional ca ego ies because o hei eaching-speci ic demands
and esou ces [25,26], hence he impo ance o his s udy.
Wi h espec o pe cei ed s ess, he esul s showed ha emale eache s exhibi ed highe le els o
pe cei ed s ess han male eache s. We also ound ha uni e si y eache s who a e o e 60 epo ed
lowe le els o pe cei ed s ess. Ano he no able esul was ha eache s wi h he mos expe ience
(30 yea s o mo e) and eache s wi h he leas expe ience (less han 10 yea s) epo ed he lowes le els
o pe cei ed s ess. These esul s di e om he gene al endency o belie e ha bo h physical and
men al lexibili y diminish wi h age [
27
,
28
]. Howe e , he esul s a e in line wi h s udies in which
wo ke s’ expe ience has been seen o equip hem o be e use hei coping esou ces, hanks o he
con idence and ma u i y b ough by age and expe ience [29,30].
As indica ed p e iously, li e a u e ag ees ha bu nou has been used as a concep which
ope a ionalizes a signi ican aspec o pe cei ed s ess in eache s, and i s nega i e impac [
31
], which is
exp essed in he h ee componen s o he synd ome. In his s udy, pe cei ed s ess was a e y impo an
a iable in bu nou . In ac , 31.3% o he a iance o bu nou was ound o be explained by pe cei ed
s ess. Highe le els o pe cei ed s ess we e ound o be associa ed wi h g ea e Emo ional Exhaus ion,
inc eased Depe sonaliza ion, and lowe Pe sonal Accomplishmen .
Emo ional Exhaus ion was ound in emale eache s, in line wi h he s udies by Kabadayi [
19
]
and by Hend ix, Ace edo and Hebe [
14
]. Some au ho s ha e explained hese di e ences based on
di e en coping s a egies deployed by men and women in he ace o s ess ul expe iences [
32
,
33
].
These di e ences may also be due o wha O amas, Almi all and Fe n
á
ndez [
31
] concluded in hei
wo k, indica ing ha eaching as a p o ession has a ma ked gende de e minism, which is iden i ied
wi h ca e and p o ec ion, pa o he eminine ole [34–36].
In a simila way o he esul s abou pe cei ed s ess, eache s wi h less expe ience (less han
10 yea s) and eache s wi h mo e expe ience (30 yea s o mo e) had he lowes sco es in Emo ional
Exhaus ion. This is in line wi h s udies in o he ela ionship be ween bu nou and o he a iables
such as expe ience, o example Ta is, Schau eli, Sch eu s and Calj
é
[
37
]. Howe e , i con adic s some
s udies such as Guedes and Gaspa [
22
], who epo ed seeing highe le els o Emo ional Exhaus ion
and Depe sonaliza ion in olde eache s.
The p esen s udy did ha e some limi a ions. The mos impo an is o do wi h how some o
he a iables we e assessed. Fo example, he Bu nou Synd ome dimensions we e assessed using
sel - epo ed accoun s. In addi ion, he me hod used o da a collec ion (online ins umen s) made
i mo e challenging o esponden s o ge imely in o ma ion o explana ions abou any doub s o
ques ions hey may ha e had. The sample selec ion was ca ied ou by sending he su ey ia email o
all eache s wi h an email add ess in all Po uguese uni e si ies in he No h, cen e and Sou h o he
coun y. This p oduced a la ge sample han necessa y o be conside ed p obabilis ic. To mee ha
equi emen would ha e needed 380 esponden s o a sampling e o o 5% and a 95% con idence
le el. Ou inal sample was made up o 520 esponden s. Thus, we can in e om he esul s ha he e
is a high p obabili y o gene aliza ion o eache s a Po uguese HEIs, and ha his s udy p oduced
use ul esul s o esea ch and unde s anding o he subjec .
B i o [
38
] men ions ha eaching is a isky condi ion, which can lead o exhaus ion, indica ing
ha he e is a need o implemen p e en ion p og ams o imp o e pa icipan s’ heal h and sa e y,
concomi an ly imp o ing hei wo king condi ions [
38
]. In his ega d, ou s udy ein o ces a
numbe o implica ions epo ed by ecen s udies [
39
], which ecommend ha wi hin a heal hy
li es yle, he implemen a ion o p og ams o egula physical exe cise o eache s, accompanied by
he de elopmen o sel -e icacy skills and s ess con ol. In addi ion, i is sugges ed ha supe ising
ins i u ions ake measu es o encou age hese p ac ices and educe he p oblem o s ess. When
s ess ul si ua ions a e di icul o con ol, an app op ia e p e en ion s a egy could be imp o ing
In . J. En i on. Res. Public Heal h 2020,17, 3248 9 o 11
sel -e icacy and s ess managemen p og ams, o example, by de eloping p e en ion/ aining plans
ha enhance s ess managemen skills. We he e o e unde line he impo ance o ca ying ou s udies
o his ype [
40
], which iden i y he le els o bu nou and s ess in eache s and he a iables ha a ec
hem so ha ac ions can be aken o acili a e he elimina ion o he symp oms o bu nou synd ome
in his popula ion. This becomes e en mo e impo an i one conside s he ac ha wo k- ela ed
s ess has high cos s on bo h human and economic le els e e y yea , since i a ec s people’s physical
and psychological heal h and has a nega i e impac on o ganiza ions, causing absen eeism, low
p oduc i i y, low pe o mance, low mo i a ion, and discou agemen [41].
As in p e iously published sys ema ic e iews [
42
], ou u u e esea ch will aim o show he g ea
a iabili y exis ing in he ac o s s udied a ound eache bu nou in Po ugal, in o de o ex end ou
esea ch and make mo e exac compa isons abou his cons uc . Taking in o accoun he limi a ions
desc ibed abo e, ou u u e esea ch will e iew o he s udies and include o he impo an a iables
which we belie e should be in es iga ed.
5. Conclusions
The g ea conce n in ecen imes o educe s ess and bu nou in wo ke s in all ypes o
o ganiza ions make s udies like his en i ely necessa y. In his ega d, and in he ligh o ou esul s,
we make he ollowing conclusions acco ding o he speci ic cha ac e is ics o ou sample.
In e ms o pe cei ed s ess, ou esul s indica e ha uni e si y eache s who a e o e 60 exhibi
he lowes le els o pe cei ed s ess. Ano he no able esul is ha eache s wi h he mos (mo e han
30 yea s) and leas (less han 10 yea s) expe ience exhibi he lowes le els o pe cei ed s ess. Female
eache s exhibi highe le els o pe cei ed s ess han male eache s.
In e ms o he bu nou dimensions, he highes le els o pe cei ed s ess we e ound o
be associa ed wi h g ea e Emo ional Exhaus ion, g ea e Depe sonaliza ion, and lowe Pe sonal
Accomplishmen . Women seemed o exhibi signi ican ly highe le els o Emo ional Exhaus ion han
men. Simila ly o pe cei ed s ess, eache s wi h he g ea es (30 yea s o mo e) and leas (less han
10 yea s) expe ience had he lowes sco es in Emo ional Exhaus ion.
The conclusion is ha pe cei ed s ess is a e y impo an a iable in bu nou . The e o e, coping
s a egies may be a use ul ou e o s ess no o become a ue de e mining ac o o bu nou .
Au ho Con ibu ions: Concep ualisa ion, A.V. and B.R.; me hodology, A.V.; so wa e, A.V. and R.S.; alida ion,
A.V. and S.R.; in es iga ion, I.P.; esou ces, R.T.; da a cu a ion, R.T.; w i ing—o iginal-d a p epa a ion, R.T.
and B.R.; w i ing— e iew and edi ing, S.R.; isualisa ion, I.P. and R.T.; supe ision, B.R.; p ojec adminis a ion,
I.P. and A.V.; unding acquisi ion, S.R. and A.V. All au ho s ha e ead and ag eed o he published e sion o
he manusc ip .
Funding: This esea ch ecei ed no ex e nal unding.
Con lic s o In e es : The au ho s decla e no con lic o in e es .
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