Identifying Burout Symptoms in Teachers: Implications for Resilient and Sustainable Educational Workplaces

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19483596

Mangaleshwari Manjari N.¹ and K.P. Naachimuthu² (Department of Clinical Psychology, 1A PSG College of Arts & Science, 1B KMCH College of Physiotherapy, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu¹ and Department of Psychology, PSG College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu²)

The sustainability and innovative capacity of educational institutions are intrinsically linked to the well-being and resilience of their teaching workforce. Teacher burnout, a pervasive occupational phenomenon, presents a critical threat to this ecosystem. This comprehensive preliminary study investigates the prevalence and interrelationship of burnout, psychological distress, depression, anxiety and stress among 45 college-level teachers in Coimbatore, India. Employing a quantitative, cross-sectional design, participants from Arts and Science, Paramedical, and medical colleges completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) developed by Maslach and Jackson, with the first version published in 1981, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) developed by Lovibond and Lovibond in 1995 and the Symptom Check List-90 (SCL-90) developed by Derogatis in the mid-1970s. The findings reveal a significant level of underlying psychological distress with 79.9% of teachers scoring high on the Global Severity Index (GSI). While reported emotional exhaustion was predominantly low-to-moderate, 48.7% exhibited moderate levels of depersonalization – a detached and cynical response to their profession. Furthermore, psychological distress was strongly and positively correlated with depression (r = .69), anxiety (r = .71), stress (r = .67) and the burnout dimensions of emotional exhaustion (r = .42) and depersonalization (r = .53). These results suggest that even when overt exhaustion is managed, a deeper psychological malaise can erode professional engagement. This paper argues that addressing teacher burnout is not merely a welfare issue but a strategic human resource imperative. For educational institutions to achieve in the future, they must move beyond reactive measures and implement proactive, systemic strategies to build psychological resilience, thereby fueling innovation and ensuring long-term sustainable success.