Abstract
The early care and education (ECE) workforce experiences high rates of poor mental and physical health outcomes which impact staff well-being and burnout. This study aimed to assess the relationship between chronic health conditions and occupational burnout in ECE Head Start staff working in low-resourced locations. This study administered an 89-item cross-sectional survey to 332 ECE staff employed in 42 Head Start centers in the United States. Staff self-reported on 10 chronic health conditions: arthritis, asthma, cancer, depression, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, insomnia, lung disease, and musculoskeletal disorders. We found that multimorbidity of chronic conditions significantly predicted overall burnout (B = 2.39, p < .01), particularly related to emotional exhaustion (B = 2.04, p < .01). Workplace interventions targeting emotional exhaustion related to chronic health conditions are recommended to effectively address occupational burnout among ECE staff.
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