Managing Occupational Stress as an Approach to Reducing Job Burnout Among Secondary School Principals in Jeddah

Abstract

This study examined professional stress management as an approach to reducing job burnout among male and female secondary school principals in Jeddah. It sought to determine the level of professional stress management practices, the level of job burnout, the relationship between the two variables, and differences associated with gender, educational qualification, and years of experience as a principal. A quantitative approach was adopted using descriptive survey and correlational methods. Data were collected through a two-domain questionnaire administered to an available sample of 160 principals from a population of 230 principals. The first domain measured professional stress management across four dimensions: planned problem solving, self-control, seeking social support, and positive reappraisal. The second measured job burnout across emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. Results showed a high level of professional stress management (M = 3.98, SD = 1.08) and a moderate level of job burnout (M = 3.23, SD = 1.31). A weak but statistically significant negative correlation was found between the two variables (Spearman’s rho = -0.20, p = .01), indicating that higher levels of stress-management practices were associated with lower levels of burnout. Significant differences in professional stress management were found by educational qualification, favoring principals with postgraduate qualifications, and by years of experience, favoring the more experienced group; no significant gender differences were found. No statistically significant differences in burnout were found by gender, educational qualification, or years of experience. The findings support professional stress management as a relevant organizational and professional pathway for mitigating burnout, while the correlational design does not permit causal inference.