Teacher burnout: psychological risk factors

Introduction. The definition of psychological predictors of teacher emotional burnout can enhance scientific understanding of the specific factors contributing to its occurrence in contemporary pedagogical contexts. Additionally, it can identify the individual psychological characteristics of educators that are most susceptible to burnout, thereby facilitating targeted interventions that will aid in the development of effective preventive measures.

Aim. The present research aimed to identify and describe the psychological risk factors associated with the occurrence of emotional burnout among teachers.

Methodology and research methods. The study of emotional burnout and the psychological characteristics of teachers’ personalities was conducted remotely using the Yandex Forms tool in 2024. A total of 1,054 educators participated in the study. The diagnostic tools package included the following methods: the Emotional Burnout Diagnosis (V. V. Boyko), the Emotional Intelligence Inventory – EmIn (D. V. Lyusin), the Integrative Anxiety Test (A. P. Bizyuk, L. I. Wasserman, B. V. Iovlev), the Motivation of Professional Activity Diagnosis (K. Zamfir, modified by A. Rean), and a methodology for assessing overall job satisfaction. The mathematical and statistical analysis of the results was conducted using descriptive statistics and linear regression analysis, which involved both forced inclusion and sequential exclusion of independent variables.

Results. The research findings indicate that the issue of emotional burnout syndrome is indeed a pressing concern for the pedagogical community. Specifically, 16.3% of respondents exhibit a phase of tension, 40% demonstrate a pronounced phase of resistance, and 19.8% of teachers have been diagnosed with a developed phase of exhaustion. Based on regression analysis, a model of psychological risk factors contributing to teachers’ emotional burnout has been constructed.

Scientific novelty. The scientific novelty lies in the examination of emotional burnout not only in terms of its prevalence among educators in various educational institutions but also in identifying potential predictors that may serve as risk factors for the development of this professional deformation among teaching staff.

Practical significance arises from the potential to utilise the obtained results in developing targeted measures to prevent emotional burnout among teachers.

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