[Burnout in teachers: its relationship with personality, coping strategies and life satisfaction]

Burnout Syndrome is characterized by feelings of physical and emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low personal fulfillment and teaching has been considered one of the contexts of work where the professionals seem to be more exposed to suffer from Burnout. The aim of this study was to relate Burnout, personality, affectivity, Coping strategies and life satisfaction.

It was used a sample of 404 teachers aged between 23 and 64 years (M = 41.20; SD = 9.79), ranging from the first cycle to university education. The following instruments were used: Coping Responses Inventory (CRI), Big Five Inventory (BFI), Positive and Negative Affective Schedule (PANAS), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS).

The results showed that teachers with higher levels of neuroticism presented more Burnout, on the other hand teachers with a higher level of extraversion and agreeableness showed more personal accomplishment. Teachers who were high on negative affectivity where also high on Burnout, those who presented Coping strategies focused on the problem had higher results on personal accomplishment, conscientiousness, extraversion and openness to experience. Teachers who presented strategies more focused on emotions also revealed higher levels of neuroticism and Burnout. Results also showed that greater the satisfaction with life is correlated with higher personal accomplishment and extraversion and lower Burnout. Those who teach in higher levels of education revealed higher satisfaction with life and those who teach in lower levels showed higher emotional exhaustion.

We cannot understand Burnout ignoring personality processes and selection of coping strategies that accompany it.