Psychosocial Risk Factors and Burnout Among Teachers: Can Emotional Intelligence Make a Difference?

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Occupational Health Psychology
• Organizational Behavior

Background:

• Teaching is emotionally and cognitively demanding.
• Teacher burnout is a significant concern in secondary education.
• Understanding factors influencing burnout is crucial for teacher well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the moderating role of emotional intelligence (EI) in the relationship between psychosocial risk factors and burnout among secondary school teachers.
• To determine if EI influences the impact of workplace stressors on teacher burnout.
• To explore potential protective mechanisms against burnout in the teaching profession.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional online survey was administered to 215 secondary school teachers.
• Burnout was assessed using the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT-23).
• Psychosocial risk factors were measured by the Health and Work Survey (INSAT).
• Emotional intelligence was evaluated using the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS-P).
• Mediation/moderation analysis was performed using the PROCESS macro.

Main Results:

• Psychosocial risk factors significantly predicted higher burnout symptoms (B = 0.313, p = 0.001).
• Emotional intelligence did not significantly predict burnout independently (B = 0.176, p = 0.364).
• The interaction between psychosocial risk and emotional intelligence was not significant (B = 0.000, p = 0.995), indicating no moderating effect.

Conclusions:

• Emotional intelligence does not moderate the relationship between psychosocial risks and burnout in teachers.
• Burnout in teachers is primarily driven by psychosocial risks, not buffered by EI.
• Addressing teacher burnout requires a holistic approach focusing on organizational determinants and systemic interventions.