Burnout, work engagement and sense of coherence in female academics in higher-education institutions in South Africa

SA Journal of Industrial Psychology

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Burnout, work engagement and sense of coherence in female academics in higher-education institutions in South Africa
 
Creator Bezuidenhout, Adéle Cilliers, Frans V.N.
 
Subject Industrial Psychology; Organisational Psychology; Salutogenesis salutogenic paradigm; positive psychology; work wellness
Description Orientation: Female academics in higher-education institutions face numerous challenges in the continuously changing landscape of South African higher education. Mergers, increasing job demands, ever-increasing class sizes and role conflict inherent in the female role contribute extensively to the manifestation of stress and burnout in this population group.Research purpose: This research was conducted from a salutogenic paradigm, seeking to find ways of avoiding the negative consequences of burnout and contributing towards the positive experience of work engagement for the female academic. The research also explored the effect of the individual academic’s sense of coherence (SOC) on her experience of burnout and work engagement.Research design, approach and method: The research was quantitative in nature. A psychometric instrument was sent to all the permanently employed female academics at Unisa and Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), measuring their levels of burnout, work engagement and SOC. The completed questionnaires were statistically analysed.Main findings: The findings included average levels of burnout, with definite signs that the experience of burnout is on the increase. The cynicism sub-dimension of burnout showed increased levels, work engagement scores were just above average and SOC scores were low.Practical/managerial implications: This article offers a psychological interpretation of the variables in the target group. The article contributes towards the body of research studies conducted from a positive psychological paradigm and, specifically, on the female gender.Contribution/value-add: The main recommendations are that university management needs to take cognisance of the alarming symptoms of burnout present in the population under discussion. Strategies are recommended to address these and to nurture work engagement.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor None
Date 2010-11-19
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Literature Review and Quantitative Study
Format text/html text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/sajip.v36i1.872
 
Source SA Journal of Industrial Psychology; Vol 36, No 1 (2010); 10 pages 2071-0763 0258-5200
 
Language eng
 
Relation
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https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/872/956 https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/872/957 https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/872/910 https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/downloadSuppFile/872/457 https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/downloadSuppFile/872/458
 
Coverage South Africa Current Female Academics
Rights Copyright (c) 2010 Adéle Bezuidenhout, Frans V.N. Cilliers https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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