Analysis of factors that contribute to residence life staff burnout

The purpose of this investigation is to provide an integrative study of the various factors that may interact to produce burnout among Residence Life staff members. This study examines psychosocial, physiological, and environmental conditions that are thought to contribute to burnout among Residence Life staff members. The participants of this study were 71 student staff members who are employed by the Office of Residents Life, at a co-educational, nonsectarian, state supported college in a rural area of southern New Jersey. The participants consisted of both male and female, graduate and undergraduate students, who range in age from 18 to 33 years old. To test the hypothesis that there is a relationship between physical, psychosocial and environmental factors and the incidence of burnout, the data was analyzed utilizing a Pearson product moment correlation. The MBI subscales, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment were compared to the responses to a 25 item survey regarding the psychosocial, environmental, and physiological variables to determine whether a relationship appeared to exist. This research revealed a positive relationship between several physiological, psychosocial, and environmental variables: members in certain residence halls did not abstain from alcohol consumption, males held leadership positions more often than did females, staff members who hold leadership positions do not limit their consumption of caffeine, those who are not able to successfully negotiate time management strategies are not able to get a good night\u27s sleep, and subjects who had been on staff for one year or less and exercised on a regular basis reported that they got along well with other staff members. Positive relationships were also found among physiological, psychosocial, and environmental factors, and the subscales of the MBI. The data revealed that males, those who were involved in leadership positions, and those who did not get along with other staff members, evidenced a higher incidence of emotional exhaustion