Psychosocial and physical activity levels in elementary school education pre-service teachers

The selection process for teachers in Spain involves a great deal of academic preparation on the part of the applicant, which can lead to the appearance of negative emotional states together with a high level of sedentary lifestyles. The objectives of the research are to study the levels of physical activity, resilience, stress and burnout syndrome in terms of the calls for primary education competitive examinations and to study the relationship between physical activity, burnout syndrome, resilience and stress. A cross-sectional study was proposed in a sample of 4,117 candidates for the primary education competitive examination. The instruments used were the Perceived Stress Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. A higher level of burnout (p < .05) and physical activity practice (p < .05) is observed for participants who have taken the teacher's competitive examination more than others. Furthermore, negative relationships of resilience with stress (r = − .522; p < .01) and physical activity (r = − .166; p < .01) are evident. Finally, it is concluded that the most experienced candidates in the teacher competition process show higher levels of burnout, stress and physical activity time.