International Conference on Trade, Tourism and Management (ICTTM'2012) December 21-22, 2012 Bangkok (Thailand)

Burnout, Personality, and Social Support: A Case of Malaysian Academics

Fauziah Noordin1, Rohana Othman2, Ismie Roha Mohd Jais3, Janudin Sardi4

Abstract— The objectives of this study is to assess the level of II. BURNOUT, PERSONALITY, AND SOCIAL SUPPORT burnout among the academic staff; to examine the correlations of Maslach and Jackson [5] defined burnout as a syndrome personality and social support to the three components of burnout that is composed of three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, of the academic staff; and to determine the influence of selected demographic variables on the three components of burnout, depersonalisation, and reduced personal accomplishment. personality, and social support of the academics. The results show Emotional exhaustion refers to demands and stressors that that depersonalization and negative temperament indicate low mean cause people to feel overwhelmed and unable to give of scores; emotional exhaustion, positive temperament, and social themselves at a psychological level. Depersonalization is the support (friends), moderate mean scores; and personal development of negative and cynical attitudes that can create accomplishment, social support (significant other), and social a callous view of others, perceiving them as deserving of support (family) show high mean scores. The results of correlation their troubles. Reduced sense of personal accomplishment is analyses indicated several significant correlations between the the tendency to view oneself negatively and to be dissatisfied studied variables. The results of the independent group t-tests and with accomplishments. one-way between group ANOVA with post-hoc comparison indicate significant findings between the studied variables and Findings of previous research reported that burnout is selected demographic variables. related to various personal dysfunctions, such as physical exhaustion, insomnia, and increased drug and alcohol use. Keywords— Burnout, personality, social support. Some symptoms of burnout include lower motivation and satisfaction with work, increased risk of health impairments, I. INTRODUCTION social conflicts, and lower efficiency [6]. In addition, Jacobs and Dodd [7] postulate that many college students who seek URNOUT has been an ongoing concern for both counseling may be experiencing burnout or several of its B employers and employees. The adverse effects of consequences. They added that identifying factors that affect burnout, which have been manifested on both burnout is important in order to improve treatment and organizational and personal levels, have been well prevention models for student burnout. In their study, documented in research literature. Possible effects of burnout Maslach and Jackson [8] had emphasized on the at the organizational level are increased job turnover and psychological nature of burnout syndrome rather than the absenteeism as well as decreased employee involvement with physical work environment. Subsequent studies have the job, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction[1] substantiate their theory, by demonstrating the importance of [2]. In addition, burnout has been associated with physical internal (for example, personality) and interpersonal (for and mental health issues, among them physical exhaustion, example, social support) factors. Therefore, it is the intention insomnia, increased use of alcohol and drugs, family of this study examine these factors and to investigate the problems, depression, anxiety, headaches, backaches, and influence of personality and social support on burnout. gastric-intestinal problems [3] [4]. Based on the research findings in the literature, Given the severity of these effects, it is imperative that personality characteristics have generally been related to researchers and practitioners alike to learn as much as burnout. Several researchers have found extroversion to be possible about this incapacitating syndrome. correlated only with emotional exhaustion and reduced sense of personal accomplishment [9] whereas others have reported extroversion to be correlated only with depersonalisation and Fauziah Noordin1 is with the INTEC Education College, Universiti reduced personal accomplishment [10]. The relation of Teknologi MARA, Section 17 Campus, 40200 Shah Alam, Selangor, neuroticism to burnout is also inconclusive, for example, Malaysia. Tel. No.: +60355227001/2; Fax: +60355227010; Email: [email protected]. Mills and Huebner[11], reported significant correlations with Rohana Othman2 is with the Faculty of Accountancy, Universiti all three components of burnout, whereas Zellars et al [12] Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. found a significant correlation only with emotional 3 Ismie Roha Mohd Jais is with the Academy of Language studies, exhaustion. Hence, further research is needed to further Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. Janudin Sardi4 is with the Academy of Language studies, Universiti understand the relationships of these variables. Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. Social support refers to a relationship with one or more other persons which is characterized by relatively frequent

112 International Conference on Trade, Tourism and Management (ICTTM'2012) December 21-22, 2012 Bangkok (Thailand) interactions, strong and positive feelings, and especially Results in Table 1 which range from .650 - .940 show perceive ability and willingness to lend emotional and/or acceptable level of reliability. The results in Table 2 indicate instrumental assistance in times of need [13]Social support that the depersonalization (m = 2.4416) and negative has also been found to be related to burnout [14], with temperament (m = 2.6221) indicate low mean scores, greater support generally related to lower levels of burnout. emotional exhaustion (m = 3.0569), positive temperament (m In addition, several studies of burnout in the workplace have = 3.6671), and social support (friends) (m = 3.9849) appear shown that social support from supervisors is related to lower to have moderate mean scores, and personal accomplishment levels of burnout, whereas other sources of social support (m = 4.6671), social support (significant other) (m = 4.1642), (for example, family, friends, and co-workers) are less and social support (family)(m = 4.1734) show high mean strongly related to increased burnout [15] scores. Review of the literature showed that most of the studies on burnout have been conducted on working population, that Table 2: Means of the Variables is, salespeople, teachers, nurses, human service workers, counselors, and school. Unfortunately, these limited studies Item Mean Std Deviation Emotional Exhaustion 3.0569 1.15860 have focused almost exclusively on individual and situational factor of the respondents, and very little is known about how Depersonalization 2.4416 1.07093 personality and social support factors are related to burnout Personal Accomplishment 4.6671 .89424 among academic staff of institutions of higher learning. Thus, Positive Temperament 3.6696 .47578 Negative Temperament 2.6221 .76644 the objectives of this study is to assess the level of burnout Social Support: Significant 4.1642 .87136 among the academic staff; to explore the relations of Other personality and social support to the three components of Social Support: Family 4.1734 .79183 burnout of the academic staff; and to determine the influence Social Support: Friends 3.9849 .76930 of selected demographic variables on the three components Note: 1.00 – 2.99 = low; 3.00 – 4.99 = moderate; 5.00-7.00 = high of burnout, personality, and social support of the academics. It appears, as shown in Table 3, that emotional exhaustion III. RESULTS OF THE STUDY has significant positive correlation with positive temperament (r = .54), significant negative correlation with social support Respondents’ Profile (friends) (r =-.18). Depersonalization seems to have One thousand two hundred and ninety sets of significant positive correlation with negative temperament questionnaires were distributed to the academics of the (r=.50) and significant negative correlation with social university. Three hundred and eighteen completed and usable support (friends) and job satisfaction (r =-.11 and r = -.24 questionnaire were returned and this gave a response rate of respectively). 24.65%. There are more female respondents for this survey.

The female were 59.70% and male respondents were only

39.90%. Respondents age less than 31 years old are 15.40%, Table 3: Correlations of the Study Variables 31 – 44 years old are 39.00%, while over 44 years old are Emotional Depersonali Personal 45.30%. Majority of the respondents are married at 80.80% Variables Exhaustion zation Accomplishme and single respondents are only 18.60%. nt Positive -.06 -.01 .43** Reliability Analysis, Means, and Correlations of the Study Temperament Negative .54** .50** -.35** Variables Temperament Nunnaly [16] has argued that reliability estimates of .50 to Social Support -.09 -.03 .26** .60 are sufficient for basic research. (Sig. Other) Social Support -.11 -.09 .33** Table 1:Reliability Analysis (Family) Social Support -.18** -.11* .31** Item No of Cronbach’s Alpha (Friends) items Emotional Exhaustion 9 .877 In addition, personal accomplishment has significant Depersonalization 5 .751 positive correlation with positive temperament (r = .43), Personal 8 .650 Accomplishment social support (significant other) (r = .26), social support Positive Temperament 27 .898 (family) (r = .33), social support (friends) (r = .31). In Negative 28 .940 addition, personal achievement has significant negative Temperament correlation with negative temperament ( r = -.35). Social Support: 4 .906 Significant Other Social Support: 4 .886 Independent Groups T-Tests and One-Way Between Family Groups ANOVA with Post-Hoc Comparison Social Support: 4 .892 Table 4 indicates that the respondents who were involved Friends in research project appear to have a significant higher level of emotional exhaustion than those who were not involved in

113 International Conference on Trade, Tourism and Management (ICTTM'2012) December 21-22, 2012 Bangkok (Thailand) an research project (p = .028); male respondents seem to Table 5 indicates that the respondents who were in the 31 have significant higher level of depersonalization than their – 44 age group seem to have a significantly higher level of female counterparts (p = .049); the respondents who were depersonalization than those in the more than 44 age group involved in research project and consultancy project have (p = .036) and the respondents who were in the less than 31 significant higher levels of positive temperament than those age group seem to have a significantly higher level of who were not involved in any research project (p = .000 and negative temperament than those in the more than 44 year p = .031 respectively); single respondents seem to have a age group (p = .003). Those who have been working in significant higher level of negative temperament thon those university for less than 2 years appear to have a significantly who were married (p = .002); the respondents were not higher level of negative temperament than those who were in involved in research project appears to have a significant the more than 10 years of service (p = .014). The respondents higher level of negative temperament than those who were who were in the more than 44 years age group have a involved in research projects (p = .002); female respondents significantly higher level of social support from significant appear to have significantly higher level of social support other than those who were in the more than 44 years age from significant other than their male counterparts (p .000); group (p = .017). Female respondents also seem to have significantly higher Table 5: One Way between Groups ANOVA with level of social support from their friends compared to the Post-Hoc Comparison male respondents (p = .013). Variables Mean Std. F-Ratio F- Dev. Prob abilit Table 4: Independent Groups T-Tests y Variables Mean Std. Dev. T- 2-tail Depersonalization Value sig. Age Emotional Exhaustion Less than 31 2.4783 1.04263 3.373 .036 Currently are you 31-44 2.6211¹ 1.08322 involve in any research More than 44 2.2697 ² 1.05367 project? Negative Yes 2.9361 1.12463 .345 .028 Temperament No 3.2982 1.22720 Age Less than 31 2.8868¹ .75759 6.012 .003 Depersonalization 31-44 2.6924 .77425 Gender More than 44 2.4728² .73765 Male 2.5897 1.10729 .263 .049 How long have you Female 2.3383 1.03849 been working in

UiTM Currently are you Less than 2 years 2.8046¹ .67968 4.333 .014 involve in any research project? 2-10 years 2.6977 .84781 Yes 3.7114 .47561 .586 .010 More than 10 years 2.4789¹ .70843 No 3.5460 .47009 Social Support : Significant other Currently are you Age involved in consultancy Less than 31 4.4694¹ .61794 4.387 .017 project 31-44 4.1780 .91760 Yes 3.7521 .53287 .006 .031 More than 44 4.0475² .88523 No 3.6192 .44129 Social Support Negative Temperament :Friends Marital Status How long have you Single 2.9117 .84565 .271 .002 been working in Married 2.5555 .73591 UiTM Less than 2 years 4.0833 .65876 3.563 .030 Currently are you 2-10 years 4.0800¹ .83255 involve in any research More than 10 years 3.8477² .73394 project? Yes 2.5379 .74759 .686 .002 IV. IMPLICATIONS TO MANAGEMENT No 2.8571 .78389 Based on the results presented and and in support of Social Support: suggestion made by Kyriacou [17], it is recommended that Significant Other the university should do the following: Gender i. Review the job description of lecturers. Assigned teaching Male 3.9451 .98635 .018 .000 Female 4.3135 .75430 hours and involvement in non-teaching related matters are among those that need to be reviewed. There is a need for Social Support :Friends the Job Description of lecturers to be reviewed regularly as Gender there are evidences in the findings that academics in the Male 3.8532 .82721 .310 .013 Female 4.0722 .71852 present study are experiencing burnout especially in term of emotional exhaustion as they feel used up at the end of the work day and they feel that they work too hard.

114 International Conference on Trade, Tourism and Management (ICTTM'2012) December 21-22, 2012 Bangkok (Thailand) ii. Provide adequate resources and facilities to support [10] K.L. Zellars, P.L. Perrewe, and W.A Hochwarter, Burnout in health faculty in instructional practice and establishing and care: The role of the five factors of personality. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 30, 1570-1598, 2000. maintaining open lines of communication and provide [11] L. B. Mills, and E.S. HuebnerA prospective study of personality administrative support and performance feedback that may characteristics, occupational stressors, and burnout among school act as buffer against stress (Kyriacou, 2001). psychology practitioners. Journal of School Psychology, 36, 103-120, iii. Organize Stress Management and Time Management 1998. [10] K.L. Zellars, P.L. Perrewe, and W.A. Hochwarter, Burnout in health Programmes for the academic staff of the university. The care: The role of the five factors of personality. Journal of Applied university to organize Stress Management and Time Social Psychology, 30, 1570-1598, 2000. Management programmes for the academics. Brown et al. [13] M.P. Kelly, Relationships of self-efficacy, exercise, social support to [18] have stated that stress management and time strain and burnout in university faculty. Ann Arbor, MI: Proquest Information and Learning Company, 2007. management workshops can be helpful for some individual [14] J. Koniarek, J. and B. Dudek, B. Social support as a buffer in the faculty members. stress-burnout relationship. International Journal of Stress iv. Conduct an Organizational Climate Survey, on an annual Management, 3, 99-106, 1996. basis, to study the employees' perceptions and perspectives [15] E.S. Huebner, Relationships among demographics, social support, job satisfaction, and burnout among school psychologists. School of of the university. Organizational climate surveys increase Psychology International, 15, 181-186, 1994. productivity and serves as a basis for quality improvements. [16] J.C,Nunnaly, Psychometric theory. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997. Conducting the survey yearly will enable the university to see [17] C. Kyriacou, Teacher stress: Directions for future research. the climate’s changes and trends. By identifying areas of Educational Review, 53(1) 27-35, 2001. [18] R.D. Brown, S. Bond, J. Gerndt, L. Krager, B. Krantz, M. Lukin, & D. inefficiency and acting on performance barriers identified by Prentice, Stress on campus: An interactional perspective. Research in employees of all levels, an organization gains a fresh and Higher Education, 24(1) 97-112, 1986. different perspective. Survey analysis identifies areas of employee satisfaction and dissatisfaction to facilitate management in the creation of greater workplace harmony and, therefore, increased productivity. In the future research it would be interesting to compare level of burnout among academics working in the public and private universities in Malaysia. It would also be fascinating to identify factors that enable or disable academics to talk to their superiors when stressed from work. It would be interesting to find out whether the immediate superior's leadership style, personality, values, and attitude serve as either welcoming or unwelcoming atmosphere to such an important conversation. The findings of such studies will aid management in dealing with cases of burnout that may exist among their employees.

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