Interpersonal relationships at work and burnout syndrome in Peruvian primary school teachers

Introduction The association between interpersonal relationships at work and burnout syndrome is of increasing interest to researchers studying in-service primary school teachers. In the present study, the association between interpersonal relationships and three dimensions of self-perceived burnout at work was analyzed: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Method A total of 204 primary-level regular basic education teachers from the city of Andahuaylas, in the southern highlands of Peru, participated. The Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Satisfaction of Interpersonal Relationships at Work Scale were administered; both instruments had been previously validated in Peru. Results After examining the factor structure of both instruments in the studied sample, satisfaction with interpersonal relationships showed a negative and significant association with the emotional exhaustion and depersonalization dimensions of burnout syndrome and a positive and significant association with personal accomplishment, accounting for 24.6%–28.9% of the variance in the three dimensions. Conclusion The results indicate that better interpersonal relationships are associated with lower levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and higher levels of personal accomplishment among teachers.