ORIGINAL PAPER
Teachers’ humor and its relationships with chronic fatigue − the mediating role of the sense of stress at work
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Uniwersytet Kazimierza Wielkiego w Bydgoszczy / Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Bydgoszcz, Poland
(Wydział Pedagogiki i Psychologii, Zakład Psychologii Klinicznej, Instytut Psychologii / Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology,
Department of Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychology)
Online publication date: 2019-06-07
Corresponding author
Agnieszka Kruczek
Uniwersytet Kazimierza Wielkiego w Bydgoszczy,
Wydział Pedagogiki i Psychologii, Zakład Psychologii Klinicznej, Instytut Psychologii, ul. Staffa 1, 85-067 Bydgoszcz
Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2019;70(3):343-61
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ABSTRACT
Background: In recent years, many scientific studies, both in Poland and in the world, have proven that teaching is considered
a profession with a high level of stress. The experience of prolonged stress and a lack of abilities to meet challenges can lead to the
occurrence of chronic fatigue in teachers. Of key importance in coping with stress are personal resources, which include humor described
by humor styles and coping humor. Material and Methods: The study involved 166 teachers (145 women and 21 men) aged
23–67 (M = 43.02, SD = 9.98). The following tools were used in the research: the Coping Humor Scale (CHS), the Humor Style Questionnaire
(HSQ), the Sense of Stress at Work (PSS-10P) (the Polish modification of the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale – PSS-10), the
Checklist Individual Strength (CIS20R) and a personal questionnaire. Results: In the light of the research, teachers were characterized
by a medium level of the sense of stress at work, coping humor and chronic fatigue. Affiliative and self-enhancing styles dominated
in this group. The more often teachers used the affiliative and self-enhancing styles, the less likely they were to experience chronic
fatigue. The sense of stress at work mediated the relationship between the positive dimensions of humor and chronic fatigue and its
dimensions. In contrast, aggressive and self-deprecating humor styles were not associated with chronic fatigue. Conclusions: It can
be hypothesized that positive humor protects against chronic fatigue. The sense of stress at work plays an important role in explaining
this relationship. Med Pr. 2019;70(3):343–61