The mental health of leaders in Australian government schools: Stress and burnout over a decade (2011–2020)

Abstract

There is growing evidence that the complex and demanding nature of school leadership subjects many professionals in leadership positions to work-related strain and risk of mental health problems. This study analyses 16,460 survey responses from Government School leaders in general education settings, completed between 2011–2020, from the Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing survey. Over the 10-year period, almost one-third of Australian school leaders frequently experienced symptoms of burnout, and almost one in eight frequently experienced stress. Logistic regression indicated that female school leaders are at higher risk of burnout, while males are more likely to experience higher levels of stress. It was also determined that elementary school leaders were more likely to experience frequent stress or burnout than secondary school leaders, and early career leaders were more likely to experience higher levels of stress and burnout than leaders with more than 5 years’ experience. The analysis demonstrates that a large proportion of Australian school leaders are at risk of suffering from mental health problems and that urgent action is required to provide adequate support, reduce work-related risks, and promote healthy, sustainable work roles.