Burnout symptoms among university staff and faculty in Iceland

Abstract

Burnout is “a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion that results from long-term involvement in work situations that are emotionally demanding” (Schaufeli & Greenglass, 2001, p. 501). Burnout results from prolonged hyperactivity of the body’s stress systems, the sympathetic autonomic nervous system as well as the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis. This chronic hyperactivity leads to cognitive and physical symptoms, such as memory issues, concentration difficulties, executive function impairment, and heightened sensitivity to stimuli. Common physical symptoms include cardiovascular issues, digestive problems, muscle tension, and headaches. Accumulated stress can also result in irritability, affecting social health, and can potentially lead to substance abuse as a means of self-medicating.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognises burnout as an occupational phenomenon rather than a syndrome, emphasising workplace responsibility. Research on the Job-Demands Resources (J-DR) model indicates that burnout can result from an imbalance between work demands and available resources. Excessive demands, such as high workloads, cognitive and emotional strain, combined with insufficient resources, such as workplace support, predict burnout (Demerouti et al., 2001). Social support from colleagues is a critical protective factor, while competitive workplace cultures can exacerbate burnout symptoms.

Although burnout is prevalent among primary and secondary school teachers, it has not been previously studied among university staff in Iceland. Research from other countries indicates that burnout is a similarly pervasive issue among university educators due to the socially, emotionally, and cognitively demanding nature of the work (Watts & Robertson, 2011). Differing from educators at lower levels, academic staff are also scientific researchers, expected to disseminate findings in scientific journals and books, and at conferences. Research has shown that younger and less experienced university faculty are more susceptible to burnout, but evidence on gender differences is mixed.

Many universities in Iceland and abroad have adopted reward systems and performance metrics based on competition, productivity, and profitability, in the name of so-called neoliberal reform. This has resulted in a ‘publish or perish’ culture, pressure to obtain competitive research funding, and increased student numbers, without proportional increases in faculty. Contrary to its purpose, the global increase in pressure to publish has been heavily criticised for effectively lowering research quality. Academics also face additional pressures from constant teaching evaluations, audits, and administrative duties. All of this exacerbates stress and is intensified by chronically underfunded institutions. A 2022 survey at the University of Iceland found that 80% of academic staff reported high work-related stress. Despite this, no comprehensive study using standardised burnout measures has specifically focused on burnout among university faculty in Iceland until now.

This study aimed to map the prevalence of burnout symptoms among members of the Icelandic Association of University Teachers and the Association of Professors at State Universities, using the Burnout Assessment Tool to analyse differences by job title, gender, and age. It hypothesised that younger, less experienced university teachers will show higher burnout levels, women will have more frequent and severe symptoms than men, and that academic staff will experience more burnout and work stress than administrative staff. The study also predicts that workplace support will negatively correlate with burnout symptoms, while workload will positively correlate, according to the JD-R model.

Supporting most of our hypotheses, results indicate that over a third of respondents were at high or very high risk of burnout, with doctoral students and postdocs being particularly vulnerable, and younger staff more at risk than older staff. The average frequency of burnout symptoms was higher among women than men, though there was no significant difference in symptom severity between genders. OLS regression analyses showed that workload was strongly correlated with the frequency of burnout symptoms, while social support had a strong negative correlation, controlling for age, gender and teaching vs. non-teaching staff. Burnout symptoms were highest among doctoral students and postdocs, and lowest among non-teaching academics, professors, and administrative staff. This aligns with findings of international studies and emphasises the need for targeted research on specific stressors within academia and systemic changes to alleviate the high workload faced by university staff. The authors stress that university authorities in Iceland must take these findings seriously and reduce the workload on academic staff by introducing systemic changes, rather than focusing on individual interventions.