Burnout and Long-term Sickness Absence From the Teaching Function: A Cohort Study.

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Psychology
• Education

Background:

• Teacher burnout is a growing concern in educational settings.
• Burnout comprises emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low professional efficacy.
• Long-term sickness absence (LTSA) significantly impacts teacher workforce stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if burnout dimensions predict long-term sickness absence (LTSA) in teachers.
• To determine the specific components of burnout that pose a risk for extended teacher absence.
• To provide evidence for interventions aimed at reducing teacher burnout and absence.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study with a two-year follow-up.
• Involved 509 elementary and high-school teachers.
• Burnout assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory; LTSA defined as ≥30 consecutive days. Poisson regression used for analysis.

Main Results:

• The incidence of LTSA was 9.4%.
• High depersonalization (DP) was significantly associated with LTSA (RR=1.80, 95% CI: 1.05-3.09) after adjustments.
• Emotional exhaustion and low professional efficacy were not significant predictors of LTSA in adjusted analyses.

Conclusions:

• Depersonalization is a key risk factor for long-term sickness absence among teachers.
• Findings underscore the importance of improving teachers' work environments to reduce burnout.
• Interventions targeting depersonalization may help decrease teacher absence rates.