A Comparative Study of Psychological Capital and Burnout Among Faculty Members Across Gender

Abstract

Faculty burnout has emerged as a critical concern in higher education globally, with significant consequences for individual well-being, teaching quality, and institutional effectiveness. The present study examined the relationship between Psychological Capital (PsyCap) and occupational burnout among higher education faculty members in Jammu, India, with particular attention to gender-based differences. A total of 120 faculty members (n = 80 female, n = 40 male), aged 26–60 years, drawn from public, private, and autonomous institutions, participated in this cross-sectional survey. Data were collected using the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-24; Luthans et al., 2007), measuring self-efficacy, hope, resilience, and optimism, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI; Maslach & Jackson, 1981), assessing emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, and Pearson correlations were employed for analysis. Prevalence findings revealed that 75% of faculty reported high overall PsyCap, while depersonalization was the most prevalent burnout dimension, with over 57% exhibiting some degree of psychological detachment. Female faculty scored significantly higher on resilience than male faculty, t(118) = 2.79, p = .006, Cohen's d = 0.54, whereas no significant gender differences emerged across any burnout dimension (all p > .05). The most substantively important finding was a strong positive correlation between total PsyCap and personal accomplishment, r(118) = .599, p < .001, with PsyCap accounting for approximately 41% of variance in personal accomplishment scores. No significant associations were observed between PsyCap and emotional exhaustion or depersonalization. These findings suggest that PsyCap functions as a meaningful psychological resource sustaining faculty members' sense of professional efficacy, particularly against diminished personal accomplishment. Results are discussed within psychological capital theory and the job demands–resources model, with implications for gender-responsive faculty well-being interventions in Indian higher education