UK Teachers Under Stress: Can We Predict Wellness on the Basis of Characteristics of the Teaching Job?

Abstract

Abstract The current study aims to investigate the relationship between the components of the Karasek model and burnout, somatic complaints and job satisfaction in teachers. Questionnaires were collected from 166 teachers from six secondary schools in the greater London area. The European reference group consisted of 2017 teachers from 10 other countries who participated in the EUROTEACH Project. Regression analyses show that of the Karasek components, job demands was the most consistent predictor for the study outcomes, whereas control and social support appeared to have less predictive power. The inclusion of other job aspects (e.g. physical exertion, environmental risks, and job meaningfulness) significantly added varying degrees to the explained variance of the outcomes. The addition of coping strategies marginally adds to overall explained variances of the burnout components. The UK teachers were considerably worse off than their European colleagues on all outcome measures, and the majority of the predictor variables. They appear to use different coping strategies, work under worse conditions and report lower levels of psychological and physical well-being. Keywords: Work StressTeachersBurnoutJdcs ModelJob Conditions