School Burnout Syndrome in the Students of Helping Professions and its Possible Predictors

Abstract

This paper deals with the burnout syndrome among students in the context of selected demographic characteristics of respondents, frequented level of study, satisfaction with the study, frequented study program, study performance and the vision for their future careers. The study aims to identify the possible predictors of the burnout syndrome among the students and identify the risk groups of students. Altogether 350 students from the Faculty of Education participated in the research, and the SBI (School Burnout Inventory) questionnaire was used to measure the burnout syndrome. The main findings include the rate of school burnout, with almost 18% of students exhibiting a high level. Using the method of classification trees, variables such as age and the overall satisfaction rate with the study were identified as predictors on the “Cynicism” subscale; grade average, age and field of study on the “Inadequacy” subscale, and no predictor was identified on the “Emotional Exhaustion” subscale. These results were complemented by qualitative interviews with the students and a teacher training specialist.