Antecedents, correlates and consequences of faculty burnout

Bibliographic Data

ID23329178
AuthorsZaynab Sabagh (0000-0002-2258-1841, McGill University, corresponding author), Nathan C Hall (0000-0002-9734-2562, McGill University), Alenoush Saroyan (0000-0002-1150-2706, McGill University)
Year2018
Volume60
Issue2
Pages131-156
Publication date2018-04-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEducational Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0013-1881 • E-ISSN: 1469-5847
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00131881.2018.1461573
OpenAlexW2801331914
LanguageEN
Citations received77
References cited48

BackgroundOver the past few decades, higher education institutions worldwide have experienced substantial changes, including: massification, internationalisation and increasing demands for exceptional instructional quality and research quantity in environments that have also seen heightened competition for students, faculty and resources. Accordingly, these changes have contributed to a highly demanding academic employment climate that pose challenges for personal and professional development in post-secondary faculty (i.e. university or college research and teaching academics), as well as potential negative impacts on student learning and, ultimately, institutional productivity.PurposeGiven the emergent nature of scattered existing research on faculty burnout, the present paper attempts to synthesise and critically examine published empirical findings concerning the various correlates, antecedents and outcomes of faculty burnout as informed by the Job Demands–Resources model (Demerouti et al. 2001 Demerouti, Evangelia , Arnold B. Bakker , Friedhelm Nachreiner , and Wilmar B. Schaufeli . 2001. “The Job Demands-Resources Model of Burnout.” Journal of Applied Psychology 86 (3): 499–512.10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.499 [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]).Design and methodExisting empirical research on faculty burnout was identified through a rigorous search of English language, peer-reviewed articles across relevant databases (e.g. ERIC, Psycinfo, Scopus) resulting in 36 quantitative, cross-sectional studies, satisfying detailed a priori inclusion criteria.ResultsThe review revealed multiple themes across studies with respect to mixed effects of demographic background factors on burnout levels, as well as clear detrimental effects of adverse job demands (e.g. workload, task characteristics, value conflict) and lack of resources (e.g. social support, rewards, control) on faculty burnout. Additionally, both personal characteristics (e.g. motivation, optimism) and stressors outside the workplace (e.g. family stressors and lack of support) were found to contribute significantly to faculty burnout, with greater burnout, in turn, having consistent adverse consequences for performance and commitment (e.g. reduced work activities, turnover intentions) as well as psychological and physical health (e.g. ill health, depression) in faculty.ConclusionsThe findings presented underscore the importance of faculty burnout and the challenges it presents in terms of faculty well-being as well as student development and institutional performance. Findings also provide further insight into the ways in which intervention efforts and resources targeting faculty burnout may prove effective.

Burnout · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Neural correlates of consciousness · Clinical Psychology · Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout · Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior · Psychology · Social Psychology · Workplace Violence and Bullying

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub