Economic Crisis, Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization and Personal Accomplishment of Teachers in Greece

Abstract

This study compares the level of teachers’ professional burnout before and after the onset of the prolonged economic crisis in Greece. Scores of burnout components (Emotional exhaustion (EE); Depersonalization (DP) and lack of Personal accomplishments (PA) were used to compare the periods before (1995-2005; 2005-2010) and after (2010-2015; 2015-2020) the onset of the current economic crisis in Greece. There were significant differences (ANOVA) among different periods, in the scores of EE (P=0.006) and DP (P<0.001). Post hoc comparisons using the Tukey HSD test indicated significant differences in the scores for EE before and after the onset of the economic crisis. EE was increased (P<0.05) after the onset of the economic crisis. In the same manner, DP increased significantly (P<0.0001) in papers published five years after the onset of the economic crisis. The level of PA remained similar during the entire period examined in the present analysis but was consistently well above the norms for this component of burnout compared to other countries. Burnout teachers will have difficulty in coping with changes and innovation, reducing the prospects for them to cope with the new and demanding conditions of their job. This could have a significant effect on teaching effectiveness. This dramatic change in two burnout components of teachers has significant implications for school management. EE is considered as an indication of professional stress and be a precursor of depersonalization which requires monitoring and implementation of possible proactive human resources policies.