A path analysis examination of factors affecting early childhood educators' health, burnout, and turnover

Early Childhood Education (ECE) educators experience high levels of stress, burnout, and job turnover, contributing to workforce instability. Efforts to better understand how interpersonal and environmental work-related factors contribute to burnout and job turnover intentions are essential to improving ECE educator wellbeing. Grounded in the social ecological model, this study quantitatively examined how stress, the social climate (social support and social strain), and health behaviors contribute to burnout and job turnover intentions in ECE educators.

The StayWell ECE (Staff and Youth Wellness for Early Childhood Educators) project administered two online surveys to licensed ECE educators in New York: the Health Behaviors Survey (n = 1,423), assessing burnout, stress, turnover intentions, and health behaviors (diet, physical activity, and sleep), and the Social Environment Survey (n = 263), assessing workplace social climate (social support and social strain). Multiple linear regression analyses examined associations between burnout, the social climate, and health behaviors. Path analysis was conducted to test relationships among perceived stress, the social climate, burnout, and turnover intentions, controlling for age, income, and education; model fit was evaluated using chi-square, comparative fit index, root mean square error of approximation, and standardized root mean square residual.

Higher burnout was significantly associated with poorer diet quality and lower physical activity and sleep. Lower workplace social support was also associated with poorer diet quality and sleep. Path analysis demonstrated adequate model fit and showed that stress was associated with lower social support, higher social strain, and higher levels of burnout. Social strain was strongly associated with two burnout subdomains (lower emotional exhaustion and depersonalization; p < 0.01 and p < 0.01), while social support was associated with one (greater personal accomplishment; p < 0.01). All burnout subdomains were associated with higher turnover intentions.

Findings highlight burnout as a key mechanism linking stress and workplace social climate to health behaviors and turnover intentions among ECE educators. Interventions that reduce perceived stress and address both social support and social strain may improve wellbeing, support healthier behaviors, and reduce job turnover in this workforce.