Economic Crisis and Educational Reforms: How Burnout affects Teachers' Physical, Mental, and Oral Health?

Authors

  • Chrysi Papadeli Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki, Greece
  • Adamantia Filippou Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
  • Maria Nikolakaki University of Peloponnese, Tripoli, Greece
  • Ioannis Papadelis University of Western Macedonia, Greece
  • Dimitrios Korsavvidis Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greec

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24203/ajhss.v10i2.6872

Keywords:

Teachers work, Teachers’ Burnout, Human costs of Neoliberal educational policies, Technical Vocational Education. Greek education, Quantitative research.

Abstract

In July 2013, for the first time in the Greek civil sector, a legal measure suspending labour, was applied overnight on Greek Secondary Education teachers. More than 2,200 secondary school teachers were affected. This so-called “reform effort” impacted on 23,000 students, through abolishing 52 Technical Education specialties. The majority (80%) of affected secondary school teachers were placed on suspension, while 20% underwent obligatorily transfers to administrative positions through the application of a government dictated “social criteria”.

            This research that took place from 2013 till 2017, investigated the burnout experienced both by teachers who were suspended and by those who were compulsorily transferred to administration duties. The Maslach Burnout Inventory measurements recorded the highest percentages on this scale, in its history of application to Greek teachers. The factors of work stress were studied with respect to both separate categories of teacher (suspended – compulsorily transferred) and a comparative study was then conducted between them. Psychopathological symptoms (utilising the SCL-90 Psychopathology scale) were observed in both categories of teacher, due to work-related stress, with results from both the General Symptom Index and the Positive Symptom Disorder Index (PTSD) indicating pathological responses. With respect to both categories, the appearance and deterioration of physical health problems that are normally associated with chronic stress was also recorded, and a general deterioration in physical health was also evidenced. The significance of this research is that the findings are indicative of the total effects of burnout, that correlate psychological and health issues. By creating the tools for this, it can open future further investigations on the impact of educational policies on teachers.

 

Author Biography

  • Chrysi Papadeli, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki, Greece

    Education Staff,School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

     

References

Agervold M & Mikkelsen EG. (2004)."Relationships between bullying, psychosocial work environment and individual stress reactions", Work and Stress, 18 (4), 336–51.

Aquino K & Thau S. (2009)."Workplace victimization: Aggression from the target’s Perspe¬ctive", Annual Review of Psychology, 60: 717-741.

Brodsky CM. (1976). The harassed worker, Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Lexin-gton Books, DC Health.

Burke RJ, Greenglass ER, Schwarzer R. (1996). Predicting teacher burnout over time: Effects of work stress, social support, and self-doubts on burnout and its consequences Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 9: 261-275.

Buunk BP& Schaufeli WB. (1999). Reciproeity in Interpersonal Relationships: An Evolutionary Perspective on its Importance for Health and Well-being. In: W. Stroebe and M. Hewstone (Eds.), European Review of Social Psychology, (10): 260-291.

Castel R. (1995).Les métamorphoses de la question social, Paris:Galimard.

Cushway D. (1992). Stress in clinical psychology trainees. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 31: 169-179.

Demazière D. (2006). Sociologie des chômeurs, Paris: La Découverte.

Demazière D. (2013a). "Le chômage a-t-il encore un sens? Enseignements d’ une compa¬raison dans troismétropoles", Sociologie du Travail, 55 (2): 191-213.

Derogatis LR, Lipman RS, Covi L. (1973). SCL-90: an outpatient psychiatric rating scale - preliminary report. Psycho pharmacol Bull, 9:13-28.

Derogatis LR, Rickels K, Roch AF. (1976). The SCL-90 and the MMPI: a step in the validation of a new self- report scale. Br J Psychiatry,129:280-289.

Derogatis LR. (2000). Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. in Handbook of psychiat¬ric measures. American Psychiatric Association, 81-84.

Di Martino V, Hoel H, Cooper G. (2003)."Preventing violence and harassment in the workplace", European Foundation for the Imp¬rovement of Living and Working Conditions.

Djurkovic N, McCormack D, Casimir G. (2008)."Workplace bullying and intention to leave: The moderating effect of perceived organisational support", Human Resource Management Journal, 18, 405-422.

Greenglass E & Burke RJ. (2000a). The relationship between hospital restru-cturing, anger, hostility and psychosomatics in nurses. Journal of Comnaunity and Applied Social Psychology, 10: 155-161.

Greenglass ER& Burke RJ. (1988). Work and Family Precursors of Burnout in Teachers: Sex Differences. Sex Roles, 18: 215-229.

Kantas A & Vassilaki E. (1997). Burnout in Greek teachers: main findings and validity of the Maslach burnout inventory. Work and Stress, 11: 94-100.

Kantas A. (1996). "The Occupational Burnout Syndrome of Teachers and Health Profession Employees". Psychology, 3(3): 71-85.

Lazarsfeld P, Jahoda M, Zeisel H. (1982[1933]). Les chômeurs de Marienthal, Paris: Editions du Minuit.

Ledrut R. (1961). "Les chômeurs faibles sesociale et sentiment de faiblesse", Revue Francaise de Sociologie, 2; 177-195.

Lemaire R.(1987). "La competence temporelle des personnesenchômage (revue de la littérature)", Revue Santé mentale au Québec, 12 (2): 76-81.

Leymann H & Gustafsson A. (1996). "Mobbing at work and the develop¬ment of post-traumatic stress disorders". European Journal of Work and Organi-zational Psychology, 5: 251-275.

Leymann H. (1990). "Mobbing and psychological terror at workplaces", Violen¬¬ce and Victims, 5: 119-126.

Maslach C & Jackson SE. (1981). The Maslach burnout inventory. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc.

Maslach C & Jackson SE. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Behaviour,2: 99-113.

Maslach C& Jackson SE. (1986).Maslach Burnout Inventory Manual. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

Maslach C, Jackson SE, Leiter M.P. (1996). Maslach burnout inventory manual (3rd ed). Mountain View, CA: CPP, Inc.

Paugam S. (1991). "L’épreuve du chômage: Une rupture cumulative des liens sociaux?", Revue européenne des sciences sociales, 3: 11-27.

Paugam S. (2000). Le salarié de la précarité, Paris: PUF.

PaugamS. (1991). La disqualification sociale: Essai sur la nouvelle pauvreté, Paris: PUF.

Spyridakis M. (2013).The Liminar Worker: An Ethnography of Work,Unem-ployment and Precariousness in Contemporary Greece, Farnham: Αshgate.

Standing G. (2011). The precariat: the new dangerous class, London: Bloom-sbury Academic.

Triga V. (2011). Social Protest through Facebook in the Greek Context: the case of the "I don't pay" movement. Journal of Critical Studies in Business & Society, 2(1-2): 51-74.

Tyler P &Cushway D. (1998). Stress and well-being in health-care staff: the role of negative affectivity, and perceptions of job demand and discretion. Stress Medicine, 14: 99-107

Unger DE. (1980). Superintendent Burnout: Myth or Reality. The Ohio State University, Columbus.

Vartia M. (1996). "The sources of bullying – psychological work environment and organizational climate", European Journal of Work & Organizational Psychology, 5: 203-14.

Vartia M. (2001). "Consequences of workplace bullying with respect to the well-being of its targets and the observers of bullying", Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, 27: 63-69.

Καμινιώτη Ο. (2012). Τα δεδομένα της αγοράς εργασίας εν μέσω οικονομικής κρίσης, Άρθρα και Μελέτες 5/2012, Εθνικό Ινστιτούτο Εργασίας και Ανθρωπίνου Δυναμικού, Αθήνα.

Καμινιώτη Ο. (2013). Χαρακτηριστικά και εξελίξεις στην αγορά εργασίας στην Ελλά¬δα και στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση. Εργασία και Απασχόληση, Έκθε¬ση ΕΙΕΑΔ 2013, κεφάλαιο 2, Εθνικό Ινστιτούτο Εργα¬σίας και Ανθρώ¬πινου Δυναμικού, Αθήνα..

Λύτρας Α& Σουλιώτης Κ. (2004). "Αποκλεισμοί στην παγκοσμιοποίηση: Ζητήματα Κοινωνικής Πολιτικής". Παπαζήσης, Αθήνα.

Μπαγάκης Γ & Σκιά Κ. (2015). Διερεύνηση των δυνατοτήτων επι¬μόρ¬φωσης των εκπαιδευτικών σήμερα στη χώρα μας. Γρηγό¬ρης, Αθήνα.

Μπαγάκης Γ. (2015). Μεθοδολογία, πολιτικές, πρακτικές επιμόρφωσης και επαγγε묬ματικής ανάπτυξης του εκπαιδευτικού που βασίζονται στο σχολείο (schoolbased). Γρηγό¬ρης, Αθήνα.

Νικολακάκη Μ.(2011). Η Κριτική Παιδαγωγική στο Νέο Μεσαίωνα. Σιδέρης Αθήνα.

Ντώνιας Σ, Καραστεργίου Α, Μάνος Ν. (1991). Στάθμιση της κλίμακας ψυχο¬πα¬θο¬λογίας SymptomChecklist-90-R σε ελληνικό πληθυσμό. Ψυχιατρική, 2: 42-48.

Σπυριδάκης Μ.(2009). Εξουσία και Παρενόχληση στην Εργασία, Διόνι¬κος, Αθήνα.

Τσιάμα Μαρία-Χριστίνα (2013). Η ηθική/ψυχολογική παρενόχληση στο χώρο εργα¬σίας, Εργασία και Απασχόληση, Έκθεση ΕΙΕΑΔ κεφάλαιο 8,Εθνικό Ινστιτούτο Εργασίας και Ανθρώπινου Δυναμικού, Αθήνα.

Downloads

Published

2022-06-10

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Economic Crisis and Educational Reforms: How Burnout affects Teachers’ Physical, Mental, and Oral Health?. (2022). Asian Journal of Humanities and Social Studies, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.24203/ajhss.v10i2.6872

Similar Articles

21-30 of 297

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.