Teacher Well-Being and Burnout Resilience: Dimensional Independence, Pandemic Burden, and Profile Analysis in Primary Education.

BACKGROUND

Primary school teachers are experiencing unprecedented occupational stress due to technological demands, varied student needs, and the enduring psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although burnout research is extensive globally, evidence regarding Greek primary educators remains scarce, particularly in post-pandemic contexts where Mediterranean cultural values, economic constraints, and centralized governance may yield unique patterns.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study examined professional burnout among 102 primary school teachers in Achaia prefecture, Greece, during autumn 2022. The Greek-validated Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey assessed emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. The psychological impact of COVID-19 was evaluated alongside demographic and occupational factors. Analyses included descriptive statistics, nonparametric tests, correlation analyses, hierarchical clustering, and multiple regression models.

RESULTS

The sample exhibited mixed burnout profiles, with 42.2% indicating low emotional exhaustion (while 35.3% showed high levels) and 67.6% showing minimal depersonalization. Bivariate analysis revealed that the psychological burden of COVID-19 was significantly correlated with depersonalization (r = 0.339, p < 0.001) but not with emotional exhaustion (r = 0.078, ns) or personal achievement. However, multivariate regression controlling for demographic factors revealed a suppression effect: pandemic burden emerged as the strongest predictor of emotional exhaustion (β = 0.52, p < 0.001), while its association with depersonalization became non-significant. Cluster analysis identified four distinct profiles: Emotionally Strained (49.0%), Resilient (32.4%), Detached (15.7%), and At-Risk (2.9%). Gender significantly predicted emotional exhaustion (model R2 = 0.136), while rural location and years of service predicted depersonalization (model R2 = 0.225).

CONCLUSIONS

Greek primary school teachers demonstrated remarkable resilience after the pandemic, maintaining professional effectiveness despite emotional challenges. The suppression effect observed for COVID-19 burden-significantly associated with depersonalization bivariately but with emotional exhaustion multivariately-highlights the importance of examining both direct and demographically mediated stress pathways. The dimensional independence observed, particularly personal achievement's resilience to external stressors, contests unified burnout models and indicates that targeted interventions addressing specific burnout dimensions may be more effective than holistic approaches.