Coping as a moderator variable in the relationship between occupational stressors and burnout amongst psychologists

English: The aim of this research was to determine whether the coping utilized by South African psychologists had a moderating effect on the relationship between occupational stress and the levels of burnout they experienced. Human service professionals, such as psychologists, are involved with working closely and intensely with people. Due to the intense nature of these relationships as well as the severity of the problems dealt with, these professionals tend to get overly stressed and if the stress prevails, burnt-out. Little South African literature is available on this topic. The psychologists that were involved in this study were selected from their membership in the Psychologica l Society of South Africa (PsySSA). The study was aimed at psychologists employed in private practice in the Free State area. The sample consisted of 100 psychologists. The Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Cope questionnaire, a work of experience questionnaire and a biographical questionnaire (both developed by the researcher) were administered to the research sample. Burnout is measured by three subscales, namely, emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and a sense of reduced personal accomplishment. Two types of coping styles were measured, namely emotion-focused and problem -focused coping. The results obtained indicate that the participants experience elevated levels of stress, the highest stress levels were reported on practice issues, such as nature and severity of client’s diagnosis, prognosis of clients, client load and socio-economic -status of clients. The levels of burnout were also elevated, and a majority of the psychologists appear to have a diminished sense of personal competence. No significant relationship existed between work stress and burnout for this research sample. The coping mechanisms utilized by the psychologists in this study do not have a moderating effect on the relationship between their stress and burnout levels.