Burnout among student affairs officers: A structural equation model of the effects of work ethics, negative affectivity, demographics, and work environment factors

Introduction and purpose. Studies on burnout indicate that administrators continue to report experiencing stress at work, which emanates from multiple sources. Burnout is defined as a syndrome composed of three basic symptoms: Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a sense of reduced personal accomplishment. As an important group of administrators in higher education, Senior Students Affairs Officers (SSAOs) had not received much research attention in studies of burnout. To remedy this lack of research among SSAOs, this empirical study was conducted using affective, structural, and environmental factors.;The method. The data were collected using a self-reporting 181-item survey, mailed to 800 SSAOs in comprehensive higher education institutions in the USA and its territories. The cross-sectional sample analyzed consisted of ;The research model was estimated by weighted least squares (WLS) from the LISREL-8 statistical program. The model tested these variables: Criterion: Burnout; predictors: Protestant, leisure, humanistic work ethics, trait negative affectivity, unit size, years in the position, and work environment. The data show a "reasonably good" fitted model, with the chi-square statistic (x-square/df = 508.62/124 = 4.10), significant at ;Findings. The results indicate that the predictors accounted for 42% of the variance in the work environment construct and for 80% of the variance in the burnout construct. Negative affectivity had the strongest total effect on burnout, while the work environment had the strongest direct effect on burnout. The other predictors also had significant effects on burnout. Contrary to expectations, non-significant effects were found among the Protestant ethic, years in the position, and burnout.;Implications. The work environment conditions emerged as a primary source of burnout, implying that SSAOs must pay attention to work-based factors in order to reduce the risk of burnout. The effects of negative affectivity suggest that dispositional factors cannot be ignored in the etiology of burnout. The role of work ethical beliefs and structural factors are important predictors of managerial performance and burnout. The study identified new factors for the pool that may contribute significantly to burnout. Recommendations for training, professional practice and further research are thoroughly discussed.