Teacher exhaustion: The effects of disruptive student behaviors, victimization by workplace bullying, and social support from colleagues

Abstract

Exhaustion, as a key facet of burnout, is one of the most common risks that compromises teacher well-being and contributes to a shortage of teachers. While the school social environment has been identified as an influential context for teacher exhaustion, the relative importance of its different facets remains unclear. This study focused on the most proximal social environment in school and examined the role of teachers’ social experiences with students, fellow teachers, and leadership. The sample comprised teachers (N = 740; 77% women and 23% men) of adolescent students. In an online survey, participants reported their exhaustion and perceptions of student disruptive behaviors, victimization by workplace bullying, and social support from colleagues. A sequential linear regression controlling for gender, school type, and length of teaching experience indicated that exhaustion was positively associated with disruptive student behaviors and victimization by workplace bullying and negatively associated with social support from leadership. Regarding the individual control variables, exhaustion was higher in female teachers and in less experienced teachers. The type of school (elementary vs. secondary) did not play a role in exhaustion. The main findings suggest that to help prevent teacher exhaustion, teacher education should aim to better prepare teachers to handle disruptive student behaviors, and schools should maximize their efforts to reduce workplace bullying and foster leadership support for teachers.