Perceived Stress and Indicators of Burnout in Teachers at Portuguese Higher Education Institutions (HEI)

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   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 . Re e ences 1. 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