Specifics of Mental Burnout Manifestation in Rural School Teachers

Abstract

Introduction. The scientific relevance and social significance of the mental burnout are determined by the maladaptive nature of its manifestations, which have a negative impact on the effectiveness of the professional activity of specialists. At the same time in the scientific field there is a deficit of research revealing the mechanisms of influence of specific conditions of pedagogical activity realization on its efficiency and presenting the consequences of this influence. Objective. To study mental burnout in school teachers working in rural areas. Materials and Methods. The study participants were 184 teachers from schools in the districts of the city of Zabaikalski Krai and Chita. In the process of forming the sample, the questionnaire survey was used, based on the results of which two groups were formed: the first group included 56 teachers from rural schools, and the second group consisted of 58 teachers from city schools. At the stage of empirical research, we used the method of psychodiagnostic testing, which included the method of professional burnout by K. Maslach and S. Jackson in adaptation of N. E. Vodopyanova and V. V. Boyko’s method of diagnosing emotional burnout. The non-parametric criterion of reliability of differences U Mann-Whitney was used in processing the results of the study. Results. It was found that the frequency of occurrence and the degree of severity of mental burnout manifestations are lower in rural school teachers compared to urban school teachers. The dynamics of symptoms in this group is characterized by earlier stages of development and the emerging nature of symptoms, and there is a qualitative peculiarity of the general structure of mental burnout, manifested in the dominance of certain symptoms and the nature of their completeness. Discussion. The analysis of the empirical research results allows us to speak about the peculiarities of mental burnout concerning its frequency of occurrence, degree of expression, and qualitative uniqueness in rural and urban school teachers. The results of the study indicate higher adaptive capabilities of rural school teachers in relation to the development of mental burnout and allow us to outline an effective direction of appropriate preventive work.