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Stress, attributions, and coping : predictors of emotional exhaustion in male post-secondary instructors Stephens, Eileen
Abstract
This study used a learned-helplessness model to examine burnout. Two hierarchical multiple regression analyses tested the extent to which job stress, attribution style, and coping strategies were associated with burnout (i.e., emotional exhaustion) in male instructors (N = 108), aged 30 and 55 (M = 44.1), employed at a post-secondary institution in western Canada. It was expected that those attribution styles and coping strategies associated with greater "personal" and "universal" helplessness would be associated with greater emotional exhaustion, whereas those associated with greater "morale" and "enthusiasm" would be associated with lower emotional exhaustion Specifically , greater characterological (internal-stable) and task difficulty (external-stable) attributions were expected to be associated with greater emotional exhaustion under high-stress conditions. Under low-stress conditions, greater behavioural (internal-unstable) attributions were expected to be associated with greater emotional exhaustion. Greater emotional exhaustion was also expected to be associated with greater escape-cognitive and escape-active coping ratios, but with lower control-cognitive and control-active coping ratios. Those attribution styles and coping strategies associated with personal helplessness, i.e, characterological (internal-stable) attributions and escape-cognitive coping, were expected to make stronger contributions to emotional exhaustion than were those associated with universal helplessness, i.e., task difficulty (external-stable) attributions and escape-active coping. In addition, control-cognitive coping was expected to be more negatively associated with emotional exhaustion than was control-active coping. Results indicated that greater escape-active coping was associated with greater emotional exhaustion. The contribution of the universal-helplessness product-term (stress by externalstable attributions) approached significance. Under high-stress conditions, greater task difficulty (external-stable) attributions were associated with greater emotional exhaustion. The enthusiasm product-term (stress by internal-unstable attributions) also contributed significantly to emotional exhaustion. Under low-stress conditions, greater behavioural (internal-unstable) attributions were associated with greater emotional exhaustion. The negative association between control-cognitive coping and emotional exhaustion approached significance. Results suggested that burnout may involve universal rather than personal helplessness. This finding was not anticipated. Results also supported the theory that internal-unstable (behavioural) attributions may represent a vulnerability to burnout. Longitudinal studies would need to be conducted to test any causal implications of the present findings.
Item Metadata
Title |
Stress, attributions, and coping : predictors of emotional exhaustion in male post-secondary instructors
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
1992
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Description |
This study used a learned-helplessness model to examine
burnout. Two hierarchical multiple regression analyses tested
the extent to which job stress, attribution style, and coping
strategies were associated with burnout (i.e., emotional
exhaustion) in male instructors (N = 108), aged 30 and 55 (M =
44.1), employed at a post-secondary institution in western
Canada.
It was expected that those attribution styles and coping
strategies associated with greater "personal" and "universal"
helplessness would be associated with greater emotional
exhaustion, whereas those associated with greater "morale" and
"enthusiasm" would be associated with lower emotional exhaustion
Specifically , greater characterological (internal-stable)
and task difficulty (external-stable) attributions were expected
to be associated with greater emotional exhaustion under high-stress
conditions. Under low-stress conditions, greater
behavioural (internal-unstable) attributions were expected to be
associated with greater emotional exhaustion. Greater emotional
exhaustion was also expected to be associated with greater
escape-cognitive and escape-active coping ratios, but with lower
control-cognitive and control-active coping ratios.
Those attribution styles and coping strategies associated
with personal helplessness, i.e, characterological (internal-stable)
attributions and escape-cognitive coping, were expected
to make stronger contributions to emotional exhaustion than were
those associated with universal helplessness, i.e., task
difficulty (external-stable) attributions and escape-active
coping. In addition, control-cognitive coping was expected to be
more negatively associated with emotional exhaustion than was
control-active coping.
Results indicated that greater escape-active coping was
associated with greater emotional exhaustion. The contribution
of the universal-helplessness product-term (stress by externalstable
attributions) approached significance. Under high-stress
conditions, greater task difficulty (external-stable)
attributions were associated with greater emotional exhaustion.
The enthusiasm product-term (stress by internal-unstable
attributions) also contributed significantly to emotional
exhaustion. Under low-stress conditions, greater behavioural
(internal-unstable) attributions were associated with greater
emotional exhaustion. The negative association between control-cognitive
coping and emotional exhaustion approached
significance.
Results suggested that burnout may involve universal rather
than personal helplessness. This finding was not anticipated.
Results also supported the theory that internal-unstable
(behavioural) attributions may represent a vulnerability to
burnout. Longitudinal studies would need to be conducted to test
any causal implications of the present findings.
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Extent |
4609342 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2008-12-18
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0054151
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
1992-11
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.