Cognitive appraisal as a mediator in the relationship between stress and burnout

The relation between job stressors and burnout is well established in the literature. However, the mechanisms behind this relationship are still not clear. Thus, this study has the main goal of analysing the mediating role of cognitive appraisal on the relation between occupational stress and burnout. To test this relation, structural equation modelling was used in a sample of teachers (N=333) working at a public university in the north of Portugal. The participants answered a protocol with measures that included the level of stress on academic staff, cognitive appraisal of their work activity, and a burnout inventory for educators. The results indicated distinct sources of stress on their work activity and a relation between stress, cognitive appraisal, and burnout. Most importantly, the results confirmed that primary and secondary cognitive appraisals partially mediated the relationship between occupational stress and burnout at work, making these variables a promising underlying mechanism for explaining adaptation at work.