Sick-Leave Due to Burnout Among University Teachers in Pakistan and Finland and Its Psychosocial Concomitants

Abstract

The study examines sick leave due to burnout among 476 university teachers in Pakistan and Finland and its relationship with a number of psychosocial concomitants with the help of a web-based questionnaire. Sick leave due to burnout was significantly more frequent in Pakistan. An alarming finding was that 19.2 percent of 26?35 year old Pakistani teachers had been on sick leave due to burnout, while in Finland, the percentage for this age group was zero. Results from a MANOVA revealed that good working conditions, social support at work, and promotion opportunities were all rated as significantly better by the Finnish sample. Workplace bullying was also significantly less frequent in Finland. The findings suggest that young university teachers in Pakistan are especially at risk of experiencing occupational stress and burnout.