Title: The relationship between anxiety, depression, perceived stress and burnout among South African academics
Authors: Armand Luijk¹ & Nicoleen Coetzee¹
Affiliations: ¹University of Pretoria, South Africa
Introduction: University lecturers in South Africa are experiencing increased stress levels due to corporatisation, heavy workloads, reduced funding, and constant curriculum changes. These challenges place lecturers at risk of psychological strain, including burnout, anxiety, and depression. International research links chronic academic stress to poor well-being (Maslach et al., 2001; Keyes, 2002). Local studies confirm that South African lecturers often report high stress, psychological distress, and a lack of institutional support (Naidoo-Chetty & du Plessis, 2021; van Niekerk & van Gent, 2021). However, few studies have systematically examined the prevalence and interrelationships of anxiety, depression, perceived stress and burnout in this specific South African context.
Purpose: The study aims to (1) assess the relationship between anxiety, depression, perceived stress and burnout among South African academics, and (2) to determine the extent to which anxiety, depression, and perceived stress contributes to burnout.
Methods: Participants included 121 university lecturers (34 males, 86 females, 1 Non-binary) aged 26 - 70. Each completed a biographical questionnaire, the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), State-Trait Personality Inventory (STPI) for state and trait anxiety as well as state and trait depression, and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Data was analysed in SPSS Version 30 using descriptive statistics, correlations, and multiple regression analysis.
Results: The correlational analysis indicated positive, significant, moderate to large correlations between anxiety, depression, perceived stress and burnout. The multiple regression analysis showed that state anxiety is the strongest predictor of burnout followed by perceived stress.
Conclusions: Findings underscore the urgent need for South African universities to address increasing levels of anxiety, depression, and perceived stress in order to combat burnout.