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Research on stress and burnout among teachers has recently received considerable attention ([26] Travers and Cooper, 1993). Numerous studies have explored the specific conditions that make teaching stressful. These conditions can be categorised either as exogenous (i.e. unfavourable occupational conditions, excessive workload, lack of collaboration, etc.) or endogenous pressures (i.e. individual personality characteristics, disappointment and frustration that probably stem from unrealistic expectations that teachers hold, etc.). A long-term consequence of stress is occupational burnout, which is defined as a syndrome that results from chronic and extended occupational stress, characterised by physical, emotional and attitudinal exhaustion ([31] Kyriacou, 1987). In [11] Firth-Cozens's and Payne's (1999) review of 43 studies carried out in the US between 1979 and 1998, teachers were classified first in terms of levels of emotional exhaustion compared with other professional groups of the study. The consequences of occupational stress and burnout are particularly grave for individuals who work in health and social services ([1] Antoniou, 1999; [2] Antoniou et al. , 2003) and this has been a major concern of human service and helping professionals.
A considerable number of studies both in mainstream ([5] Brouwers and Tomic, 2000; [16] Jaoul et al. , 2004) and in special education settings ([3] Antoniou et al. , 2000; [17] Jennett et al. , 2003) and at primary and secondary level ([8] Carlile, 1985; [9] Cooper and Kelly, 1993) have identified the major sources of teachers' occupational stress. These can be categorized as follows:
- Factors that directly concern the nature of teaching profession. The major stress factors are anchored in the in-class structure rather than in the organizational structure. Disciplinary problems, class heterogeneity, and work overload ([20] Male and May, 1998; [19] Lewis, 1999; [12] Forlin, 2001) can affect the teachers.
- Individual differences that influence teachers' vulnerability against stress. Stress levels may differ in relation to age and gender. It is documented that younger teachers present higher levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation as compared to their older colleagues. This reaction is probably related with the young teachers' difficulty to activate the appropriate coping strategies in order to reduce the occupational stress imposed by the difficulties of their job ([7] Byrne, 1991; [25] Travers, n.d.). Moreover, female teachers experience higher levels of stress and...