Components of social support, buffering effects and burnout: Implications for psychological functioning

Abstract

The present study was conducted in order to examine the buffering effect on burnout of various forms of social support from different sources. Respondents in the study were female and male teachers. Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) composed of three subscales: Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization and Lack of Personal Accomplishment. Social support was assessed by a modified version of the Caplan scale. The effects of three types of support were assessed: Informational, practical and emotional support from three sources — the teacher's supervisor, co-workers and friends and family. Examination of multiple regression interaction terms between support and sources of stress indicate that, of the three sources of social support, a teacher's co-workers are the most important buffers of emotional exhaustion. There was a buffering effect of informational support on emotional exhaustion. When emotional support functioned as a buffer, the effects were observed in depersonalization. Implications of the results are discussed in terms of improvement of teachers' quality of life.

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