The Relationship Between Bob Burnout and Emotional Labor among College Counselors: Mediating Effect of General Self-Efficacy

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the characteristics of job burnout, general self-efficacy and emotional labor in college counselors, and analyze the relationship among the 3 variables. Totally 538 college counselors were recruited through Internet from 7 universities in Guangdong Province. They were investigated with Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), Emotional Labor Scale (ELS) and General Self - Efficacy Scale (GSES). The survey results indicate the following four points. First, the scores of MBI-GS, GSES, surface performance, deep performance and natural performance were (2.95±0.85), (2.42±.60), (4.45±.83), (4.27±.94) and (3.81±.85), respectively. Second, counselors with mild, moderate and severe job burnout accounted for 34.4%, 26.8% and 6.3%, respectively. Third, there was a pairwise correlation among the total score of surface performance, GSES and MBI-GS (r = - .104, .247, -.344, all P < 0.01), a pairwise correlation among the total score of deep performance, GSES and MBI-GS (r = .285, -. 235, -. 344, all P < 0.01), as well as a pairwise correlation among the total score of natural performance, GSES and MBI-GS (r = .316, -. 276, -. 344, all P < 0.01). Last, the score Of GSES played a partly mediating effect in the relationship between surface performance and MBI-GS, a partly mediating effect in the relationship between deep performance and MBI-GS, as well as a partly mediating effect in the relationship between natural performance and MBI-GS, with the mediation effect accounting for 14.5%, 41.7% and 39.4% of the total effect, respectively. It is therefore suggested that emotional labor not only has a direct role on the job burnout in college counselors, but also indirectly affects it through general self-efficacy.