Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-75dct Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-09T01:45:35.825Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Stress, Burnout and Self-Efficacy in Guidance Officers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2016

Paul Bramston  and
Meroë Robertson
Paul Bramston*
Affiliation:
University of Southern Queensland
Meroë Robertson
Affiliation:
University of Southern Queensland
*
Psychology Department, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Qld, 4350, Email: bramston@usq.edu.au
Get access

Abstract

Over the last decade, Australian Guidance Officers have been facing well documented challenges to their roles, training and their profession. This study surveyed 146 Guidance Officers and found them to report abnormally high stress levels but average burnout and self-efficacy scores. Previous research suggests that the most difficult aspect of the Guidance Officer's role, and the job for which they often feel least prepared, is dealing with the support needs of students with mental illness, emotional disturbance, behavioural and learning difficulties. Responses from Guidance Officers who deal with these students relatively often revealed significantly higher self-efficacy scores than the remainder of the group, higher emotional exhaustion (as anticipated) and reassuringly low depersonalisation scores. The good and bad news in these results are discussed and implications drawn for the profession.

Type
Research papers
Information
Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools , Volume 11 , November 2001 , pp. 141 - 152
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2001

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Bramston, P., & Rice, D. (2000). Generalist or specialist? Guidance officers in Queensland schools. Australian Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 10 (1), 27–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burnett, P. C. (1997). The future face of school guidance and counselling: What will it look like in 25 years? Australian Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 7(1), 23–33.Google Scholar
Cohen, S., Kamack, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health & Social Behavior, 24, 385–396.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2000). A model of burnout and life satisfaction amongst nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 32, 454–464.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Denham, C. H., & Michael, J. J. (1981). Teacher sense of efficacy: A definition of the construct and a model for further research. Educational Research Quarterly, 6, 39–63.Google Scholar
Dunham, J. (1992). Stress in teaching (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gold, Y., & Roth, R. A. (1993). Teachers managing stress and the prevention of burnout: The professional health solution. London: Falmer Press.Google Scholar
Friedlander, M. L., & Snyder, J. (1983). Trainees' expectations for the supervisory process: Testing a developmental model. Counselor Education and Supervision, 22, 343–348.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hobfoll, S.E., & Freedy, J. (1993). Conservation of resources: A general stress theory applied to burnout. In Schaufeli, W. B., Maslach, C. & Marek, T. (Eds.), Professional burnout: Recent developments in theory and research (pp. 115–131). Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.Google Scholar
Hui, E. K. P., & Chan, D. W. (1996). Teacher stress and guidance work in Hong Kong secondary school teachers. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 24 (2), 199–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jerusalem, M., & Schwarzer, R. (1995). Generalised self-efficacy scale. In Weinman, J., Wright, S. & Johnson, M. (Eds.), Measures in health psychology: A user's portfolio (pp.35–38). Windsor, UK: NFER-Nelson.Google Scholar
Kesler, K. D. (1990). Burnout: A multi-modal approach to assessment and resolution. Elemenatary School Guidance & Counselling, 24, 303–311.Google Scholar
Kyriacou, C., & Sutcliffe, J. (1978). Teacher stress: Prevalence, sources, and symptoms. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 48, 159–167.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1986). Maslach Burnout Inventory. California: Consulting Psychologists Press.Google Scholar
Melchert, T. P., & Hays, V. L. (1996). Testing models of counsellor development with a measure of counselling self-efficacy. Journal of Counseling & Development, 74 (6), 640–645.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McMahon, M., & Patton, W. (2000). Conversations on clinical supervision: Benefits perceived by school counsellors. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 28, 339–350.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Millicent, H., & Sewell, J. (1999). Stress and burnout in rural and urban secondary school teachers. Journal of Educational Research, 92, 287–295.Google Scholar
Mustaine, B. L., & LaFountain, R. M. (1983). Some thoughts on the future of school counselling. Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 8, 30–40.Google Scholar
Partin, R. L. (1993). School counselors' time: Where does it go? The School Counsellor, 40, 274–281.Google Scholar
Payne, N. (2000). Occupational stressors and coping as determinants of burnout in female hospice nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 33, 396–405.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stajkovic, A. D., & Luthans, F. (1998). Social cognitive theory and self-efficacy: Going beyond traditional motivational and behavioural approaches. Organizational Dynamics, 26, 62–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stanley, K. D., & Murphy, M. R. (1997). A comparison of general self-efficacy with self-esteem. Genetic, Social & General Psychology Monographs, 123, 81–101.Google ScholarPubMed
Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2000). Using multivariate statistics (4th ed.). Sydney: Allyn and Bacon.Google Scholar
Valine, W. J., Higgins, E. B., & Hatcher, R. B. (1982). Teacher attitudes towards the role of the counselor: An eight-year follow-up study. The School Counselor, 29, 208–211.Google Scholar