Personality and Stress: A Correlational Study Among Teachers Working in Primary Education

Abstract

In recent decades, teacher stress has been studied extensively. According to a recent survey in the US, 46% of teachers report being under high levels of stress, which places them with nurses for the most stressful occupations. Studies have focused on the risk factors and effects of teacher stress and the mediators/moderators of individual responses. Research has shown that teachers are exposed to a wide range of stressful factors (e.g., students who lack motivation, maintaining discipline in the classroom, workload demands, being exposed to a large amount of change etc.). Stress is increasingly associated with poor teacher performance, counterproductive behaviors (e.g., negative attitudes toward students), decline in physical and mental health, impaired well-being (e.g., burnout), and turnover. The main objective of this study was to identify personality traits responsible for individual differences in stress level among primary school teachers. A questionnaire-based survey was administered to a sample of 113 Romanian teachers (mean length of service = 18.3 years; SD = 10.3). Participants completed a demographic and occupational form, as well as Romanian versions of the Big Five Inventory (BFI; John, Donahue, & Kentle; 1991) and the Teachers’ Occupational Stress Questionnaire (TOSQ; Muntele-Hendreş et al., 2014). Linear regression models provided partial support for the working hypotheses. Results showed that medical status (i.e., diagnosis of chronic stress-related illness), personal life stress, and neuroticism were positive predictors, whereas age and agreeableness were negative predictors for indicators of teacher stress. Some practical implications are discussed.