AUTHOR=Schneider Sandra , Wettstein Alexander , Tschacher Wolfgang , Torchetti Loredana , Jenni Gabriel , Kühne Fabienne , grosse Holtforth Martin , La Marca Roberto TITLE=Longitudinal Associations Between Core Self-Evaluation, Vital Exhaustion and Hair Cortisol in Teachers and the Mediating Effects of Resignation Tendency JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.907056 DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.907056 ISSN=1664-1078 ABSTRACT=

Work-related stress appears to be especially high among teachers. However, most research on teacher stress relies exclusively on teachers’ self-reports. Little is known about the physiological correlates of affective stress in teachers. This longitudinal study investigates the relationship between core self-evaluation and adverse psychological and physiological stress outcomes in 42 teachers. Self-report questionnaires were used to assess core self-evaluation, vital exhaustion, and resignation tendency. The concentration of cortisol was assessed using hair samples. One year after the initial measurement, vital exhaustion and hair cortisol were assessed again. Path-analytic mediational models showed that core self-evaluation strongly predicted vital exhaustion, and resignation tendency partially mediated this relationship. However, core self-evaluation did not predict hair cortisol concentration. These findings suggest that core self-evaluation plays a crucial role in preventing vital exhaustion among teachers. A positive core self-evaluation seems beneficial for teachers’ primary and secondary appraisal and an essential resource for the long-term prevention of self-reported vital exhaustion.