Social support, burnout and well-being in teaching professionals. Contrast of a direct and buffer effect model

The main aim of this investigation is to determine whether social support has a direct impact on well-being or a buffer effect, reducing the negative consequences of burnout on teaching professionals health and well-being. The sample of the study was composed of 158 teachers. The instruments used for the measurement of social support, burnout and well-being were the Perceived Social Support Questionnaire (Herrero, Gracia, & Musitu, 1996), adapted to the work context; the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI; Maslach & Jackson, 1981); and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985), respectively. Overall social support showed a significant main effect on teachers wellbeing. Concerning the buffer effect model, significant interaction effects were verified between social support and burnout. Taking an applied perspective, the results obtained in the present study point out the relevance of interventions focused on social support and burnout coping strategies for teaching professionals.