Occupational Stress and Cognitive Appraisal Profiles as Predictors of Students’ Burnout

A Rui Gomes,Adriana Couto,Catarina Morais,Clara Simães

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-89617-1_45

A Rui Gomes, Adriana Couto + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89617-1_45

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Abstract

AbstractObjective: Analyze if different patterns of occupational stress experienced by students (lower versus higher) and different cognitive appraisal profiles assumed by students (positive evaluation of academic activity versus negative evaluation of academic activity) affect their experience of burnout over time. Background: The interactive and transactional perspective of adaptation to stress was adopted to analyze how university students evaluate their activity and related academic stress, and how they feel in terms of burnout. Method: Longitudinal study design, with three moments of data collection, with a sample of 175 psychology students, from a Portuguese university. The investigation protocol included the Stress Questionnaire for Students, the Primary and Secondary Cognitive Appraisal Scale, and the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Scale. Results: The results showed that students who experienced higher levels of stress and a negative evaluation of their academic activity also reported higher levels of burnout when compared to students who experienced lower levels of stress and positive evaluation of academic activity. Moreover, a pattern of high stress in M1 increases in 443% the probability to experience moderate to high burnout in M2. A profile of negative evaluation of the academic activity in M1 increases in 594% the probability to experience high burnout in M2. Students exposed to high levels of burnout at M2 are over nine times more likely to experience moderate levels of burnout at M3, and over 300 times more likely to experience high levels of burnout at M3. Conclusion: Students who experience higher academic stress and those who evaluate their academic activity more negatively have a higher tendency to experience burnout. Although, the experience of burnout in a specific data point is the main predictor of experiencing burnout in a later moment, highlighting the chronic effects of this syndrome on human wellbeing. Application: This study provides specific indications of how much stress and cognitive appraisal can affect burnout, alerting also for the chronic nature of burnout feelings, which must be considered in safety and occupational health interventions.KeywordsStress patternsCognitive appraisal profilesUniversity studentsBurnout

Highlights

Occupational stress represents a major topic in society and academic research has consistently show evidence that levels of stress increased in the last decades, producing several negative effects on individuals, families, organizations, and countries (World Health Organization, 2007)
Students who assumed a positive evaluation of their academic activity, perceived lower levels of stress, and higher levels of challenge, coping potential and control than their colleagues who showed a negative profile of cognitive appraisal
Our data confirms research indicating that stress can affect the health and wellbeing of students (Chowdhury et al, 2017; Leppink et al, 2016; Wahed & Hassan, 2017), but introduces new insights about how much stress can impact the feelings of burnout which may be pertinent for researchers and practitioners interested in comprehending and intervene on occupational stress

Summary

Introduction

Occupational stress represents a major topic in society and academic research has consistently show evidence that levels of stress increased in the last decades, producing several negative effects on individuals, families, organizations, and countries (World Health Organization, 2007). The interactive and transactional perspective of adaptation to stress (Blascovich & Mendes, 2000; Gomes, 2014; Lazarus, 1991) was adopted to analyze how university students evaluate their activity and related academic stress, and how they feel in terms of burnout. Interactive and transactional perspectives of stress reinforce the value of stressors on explaining adaptation to work, and give particular value to cognitive appraisal on the way people respond to work conditions (i.e., how individuals evaluate their activities). Research demonstrates that high levels of stress at work can diminish individuals' ability to cope with work demands (Niedhammer, 2020; Rugulies et al, 2020), and point out to dimensions of cognitive appraisal as determinants of functional and dysfunctional adaptation to work conditions (Gomes et al, 2013; Kim & Beehr, 2020; Paškvan et al, 2016)

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