Factors associated with burnout vulnerability in Polish pre-service teachers: insights from the AVEM diagnostic inventory and implications for occupational health prevention

Background
The present study aimed at the early detection of Polish teacher education students vulnerable to burnout and occupational health issues, using the work-related coping behavior and experience patterns ( Arbeitsbezogenes Verhaltens- und Erlebensmuster – AVEM) diagnostic inventory to identify risk work-related patterns (the excessively ambitious pattern A and the resigned pattern B).

Material and Methods
Participants were 431 full-time first-year teacher education students enrolled at various higher education institutions in Poland. They completed a survey including the AVEM inventory, the Motivation for Choosing Teacher Education Questionnaire , the intrinsic religiosity subscale of the Duke University Religion Index , and the revised Life Orientation Test . The predictive values of background variables, attitudes toward teaching and teacher education, career choice motivation, intrinsic religiosity, and dispositional optimism for assignment to the work-related patterns were examined using multinomial logistic regression, with the healthy ambitious pattern G serving as the reference group.

Results
A total of 59.63% of participants were assigned to risk patterns indicating increased vulnerability to burnout and occupational health issues. Older students were less likely to be assigned to pattern A (b = –1.28, p < 0.05), whereas those working longer hours alongside their studies were more likely to be assigned to pattern A (b = 1.09, p < 0.05). Students who identified teacher education as their most preferred study choice (b = –6.58, p < 0.05) were less likely to be assigned to pattern B, as were those who chose teacher education based on ability belief (b = –1.61, p < 0.05). Higher levels of optimism protected against both pattern A (b = –3.99, p < 0.001) and pattern B (b = –4.71, p < 0.001).

Conclusions
It is necessary to implement preventive measures to reduce long-term health risks in future
teachers. However, the results should be interpreted with caution due to study limitations, such as the use of purposive sampling. Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2026;77(2):119–136