A Test and Extension of the Demand/Control/Social Support Model: Prediction of Wellness/Health Outcomes in Greek Teachers

Abstract

The present study investigated the relationship between job characteristics, coping strategies and job satisfaction, burnout and somatic complaints in 215 Greek secondary school teachers in the urban area of Thessaloniki, as part of the EUROTEACH project (11 countries, 2164 teachers). The study aimed at testing the hypotheses of the Demand-Control-Social support model (Karasek, <citeref rid="bib20">1979</citeref>); and examining whether additional job characteristics (working hours, environmental risks, meaningfulness and physical exertion) as well as the inclusion of coping strategies could improve the model. Instruments included the Leiden Quality of Work Questionnaire for Teachers; the SCL-90 somatisation scale; the Maslach Burnout Inventory; and the CISS. Results indicated that all three components of the original model are associated with the outcomes with some associations being nonlinear. However, the moderating effects of control and social support are not supported by the data. Regarding coping, results indicated that coping variables can explain variance in most of the outcomes of the study, in addition to all job characteristics. Regarding the additional job characteristics, meaningfulness of work is the most important predictor. In order to understand these findings better, the Greek data were compared to that of the EUROTEACH group. This comparison revealed that the Greek teachers differ from their European counterparts in most study variables. The direction is mainly to the positive side, with the exception of the experience of less control on the job. The implications of these findings concerning model-based studies on teachers are discussed.