Relationships Of Self-Efficacy, Exercise, Social Support To Strain And Burnout In University Faculty
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between occupational selfefficacy, exercise behaviors, and social support with strain and burnout in faculty. Previous studies have shown each variable is associated with reduced strain. The Demand-Control- Supports Theory by Karasek and Theorell (1990) asserts when an individual is in a work situation characterized by high demands, low control, and low social support they will tend to have strain symptoms. Burnout is another psychological strain symptom common in the teaching profession. The current study used the three different variables mentioned and determined their relationships to reported strain and burnout. A survey was electronically distributed to the entire faculty at the University of California, Irvine. The faculty voluntarily responded by submitting the answers to a website hosted by SurveyMonkey.com. The survey was composed of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) by Karasek (1997), to measure physical and psychological strain, social support, job demands, and perceived control. The job demands and perceived control were compared to the three independent variables in the study. The Maslach Burnout Inventory- Educators Survey (MBI-ES) by Maslach and Jackson (1983) was used to measure burnout in faculty. The Measures Of Self-Efficacy In Academic Tasks (MSEAT) by Landino and Owen (1988) was used to determine occupational self-efficacy, and the self-created Exercise and Leisure Activity Survey (ELAS) measured exercise and leisure behaviors. Results from a path model showed Academic Self-Efficacy had a significant relationship to Burnout, Social Support was related to Strain, and Strain was highly related to Burnout. There were several interesting interrelationships amongst the variables, especially with the JCQ and MBI. The MBI total was related to each of its constituent parts, Emotional Exhaustion (EE), Depersonalization (DP), and Personal Accomplishment (PA). However, the MBI Total was also related to Job Demands, Job Control, and Strain. Academic Self-Efficacy was related to MBIPA, Job Demands, and Job Control. Strain was related to Social Support and MBI total, MBI-EE and MBI-DP, as well as Job Control. The demographic factors did not reveal any novel relationships. The three variables in the study did not predict strain as well as the JCQ variables. This study, like previous ones, did not find exercise and leisure predicted strain; however, social support and self-efficacy were related to either strain or burnout. A longitudinal study with actual interventions in exercise, social support, and self-efficacy in a more diverse population would likely reveal some interesting strain reducing practices.
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