Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Health, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat‑e Heydarieh, Iran

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Promoting the well‑being of students and teachers should be the goal of school
mental health programs. A large body of evidence has highlighted that there is an emerging concern
regarding the increasing stresses that teachers are dealing with. Burnout is a psychophysical state
that is characterized by emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and low sense of personal
accomplishment (PA). We aimed to assess burnout level in teachers’ population and its correlation
with demographic characteristics because it not only can be affected teachers’ health promotion but
also student well‑being promotion.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present cross‑sectional study, 322 high‑schoolteachers from the
second district of Tehran were randomly selected and were asked to complete the standard Maslach
Burnout Inventory questionnaire to evaluate the three areas of burnout. In addition, participants were
interviewed for their demographic status (IR.TUMS.MEDICINE.REC.1397.473).
RESULTS: The results of this study showed that male teachers exhibit significantly lower score
compared with female ones in all three indicators of burnout including EE, DP, and PA (P < 0.05).
The number of children teachers and income level in men also influenced all three indices (P < 0.05).
Regarding the impact of spouse’s job status on burnout in men and women, PA was the only unaffected
area (P > 0.05). Nevertheless, none of the demographic characteristics effected burnout domains
in female teacher population.
CONCLUSION: Considering the results of this study that shows the higher burnout level in male
teachers and its association with several demographic characteristics such as income level and
number of children, special attention should be paid to this gender to reduce possible stress and
mental illness.

Keywords

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