title: Burnout and effort-reward-imbalance in a sample of 949 German teachers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  High rates of teachers' premature retirement initiated a research investigating their occupational burden. The aim of this study was to elaborate on and extend previous investigations exploring (1) teacher burnout and (2) the relationship between teachers' efforts and their rewards.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 949 German teachers in 10 Gymnasien (grammar schools) and 79 Hauptschulen (secondary modern schools) was investigated applying the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-D) and the Effort Reward Imbalance Inventory (ERI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with other studies investigating burnout in employees, we found high rates of burnout symptoms such as emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and low personal accomplishment. Male teachers showed significantly lower personal accomplishment and more depersonalization than female teachers. With respect to school types, teachers in Hauptschulen were more often affected by emotional exhaustion and showed more depersonalization. Part-time teachers felt less personal accomplishment than full-time teachers. The ERI cut off was exceeded by 21.6% of all teachers indicating that this subgroup is affected by an imbalance between too much effort and too little reward. With respect to the ERI, significant differences were found for school types, with a higher proportion of Hauptschulen teachers being above this cut off.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At present, the working situation of teachers appears to be characterized by a perceived imbalance of effort and reward and is associated with a high risk of developing burnout symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung für Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Freiburg, Hauptstr. 8, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Unterbrink
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hack
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pfeifer
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Buhl-Griesshaber
authors.forename: Udo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wesche
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frommhold
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Scheuch
authors.forename: Reingard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Seibt
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wirsching
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bauer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002055:Burnout, Professional; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged