Síndrome de burnout en docentes mexicanos: un estudio durante la pandemia por COVID-19

Introduction

The year 2020 was marked by a global crisis as the World Health Organization declared a health emergency due to the SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) virus. Governments worldwide were urged to implement aggressive measures to combat the virus’s high transmissibility and the severe symptoms (World Health Organization [who], 2021). This pandemic brought about a wide range of social, economic, and ehealth consequences (Cabezas, 2020; Cuero, 2020). Specifically in the psychological area, the crisis led to increased levels of anxiety, depression, and stress (Ferrer, 2020; Medina & Jaramillo-Valverde, 2021; Salari et al., 2020; Vázquez, et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2020).

The field of education was particularly affected. In Mexico, over 30 million students and teachers across various educational levels faced the suspension of in-person activities and the imposition of social isolation. Almost overnight, they had to transition from traditional, face-to-face teaching to distance learning (Alcocer-Gamba et al., 2020; Giler-Zambrano et al., 2022), giving rise to what has been termed “emergency remote teaching” (Hodges et al., 2020).

This rapid shift exposed teachers to new challenges that significantly increased stress levels. Mendiola et al. (2020) classified these challenges into four main types: logistical (managing time and space to conduct classes), technological (navigating the use and management of ict), pedagogical (adapting teaching strategies for the online environment), and socio-emotional (coping with negative emotions and relationships). As Rojas (2021) highlights, the mandatory use of ict was particularly challenging, as teachers were forced to adapt with whatever resources were available to them.

Furthermore, it is important to note that even before the pandemic, teachers were constantly exposed to various psychosocial risk factors, making them highly susceptible to negative effects on their physical, social, and psychological health (Camacho & Mayorga, 2017; Freire & Corrales, 2018; Juárez-García et al., 2014; Moreno, 2011; Organización Internacional del Trabajo [oit], 2012; Spencer et al. 2018). A key factor in this is stress, which Lazarus & Folkman (1986, p. 43) define as a specific relationship between an individual and their environment, assessed as threatening to the individual’s resources and overall well-being. Stress is thus not an inherent characteristic of a person or environment but rather arises from an individual’s perception of an imbalance between the demands they face and their capacity to meet those demands (Brief & George, 1995).

Teaching also involves a unique stressor: societal expectations that often regard teachers as possessing limitless problem-solving abilities. (Osorio & Prado, 2021). This added pressure, combined with other factors, increases teachers' vulnerability to developing burnout syndrome. Maslach (1982) defines burnout as a chronic stress response characterizes by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and sense of low personal accomplishment in individuals who work closely with others. These dimensions are defined as follows: emotional exhaustion (ee)— feeling overwhelmed by work demands and consequently feeling one’s physical and psychological resources are insufficient; depersonalization (dp) —developing of negative attitudes, insensitivity and emotional detachment from students, colleagues, or the institution; and low personal accomplishment (pa)—experiencing frustration and negative feelings toward work outcomes (Esteras et al., 2018; Gutiérrez et al., 2016; Maslach et al., 2001; Maslach, 1982; Rivera et al., 2018).

Research has documented significant levels of burnout among teachers both before and during the pandemic (Aguilar & Mayorga, 2020; Camacho et al., 2021; Cortéz et al., 2021; Cortéz & Heredia, 2022; Bohâlțeanu, 2021; Giler-Zambrano et al., 2022; Infante et al., 2021; López & Zacarias, 2020; Maslach & Leiter, 2017; Martelo et al., 2021; Martínez-Pérez, 2010; Salcedo et al., 2020; Saborio & Hidalgo, 2015; Vargas & Oros, 2021).

These burnout levels have been linked to variables such as age—with younger teachers experiencing burnout more frequently—and gender, as women tend to report higher levels of emotional exhaustion (Cheptea et al., 2021; Martínez-Pérez, 2010; Maslach & Leiter, 2017) Contractual status also plays a role, with interim teachers experiencing higher burnout levels than those in permanent positions (Cortéz et al., 2021). Additional contributing factors include the length of the workday, working conditions, specific tasks, and workload (Juárez-García et al., 2014; Mejía et al., 2020).

Given these pre-existing conditions, the Covid-19 pandemic likely intensified stress levels and the risk of burnout among teachers. It was therefore essential to investigate these effects, as this research could provide an empirical background for assessing the current state of teacher well-being and informing interventions to improve their health. Accordingly, the objective of this research was to analyze the levels of burnout among a sample of teachers at different educational levels during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Method

Results

The sample included 632 teachers from different educational levels across various states in Mexico, with ages ranging from 20 to 73 years ( X = 43.61, SD= 11.50). Most participants were women (72.9 %), with men making up the remainder of the sample. On average, the participants worked with 4 groups (SD=3.7), each group consisting of approximately 30 students (SD=13.2) and taught 3 different subjects (SD= 2.7). Table 1 provides a detailed breakdown of the sample characteristics.

Table 1. : Sociodemogrphic variables

Due to the shift to remote teaching, all participating teachers reported experiencing at least one of the following challenges: technological, logistical, pedagogical, and socio-affective. The most commonly reported issues were technological (64.6% of the sample) and socio-affective (56.2%), followed by logistical (42.2%) and pedagogical (39.7%) challenges.

Regarding the mbi results, Table 2 displays the distribution of burnout levels across each dimension. The data show that 54.3 % of teachers reported low levels of emotional exhaustion, while 42.2 % had low levels of depersonalization. In contrast, 32.3% reported high levels of personal accomplishment. It is important to note that burnout syndrome is characterized by high scores in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, along with low scores in personal accomplishment. In this sample, 6.3% of teachers exhibited this pattern, indicating the presence of burnout syndrome.

Table 2: TeachersBurnout by dimension

Regarding group differences, there were statistically significant differences in emotional exhaustion between genders, with a moderate effect size. Women reported higher levels of emotional exhaustion (X ̅=20.488) compared to men ( 𝑋 =14.859) (t₆₃₀=5.176; IC_95%=7.76-3.49; δ=0.46; p<0.01).

Significant differences were also found in depersonalization and personal accomplishment based on teachers' contractual status, although the effect sizes were small. Teachers with interim contracts exhibited higher levels of depersonalization ( 𝑋 = 7.641) and personal accomplishment (M = 33.882) than those with permanent positions ( 𝑋 = 6.234 and 𝑋 = 31.809, respectively) (depersonalization: t₆₃₀=3.054; IC_95%=0.50-2.31; δ=0.288; p<0.01; personal accomplishment t₆₃₀=1.909; IC_95%=0.059-4.20; δ=0.180; p<0.01).

Additionally, Table 3 shows that teachers who reported facing pedagogical, logistical, and socio-emotional challenges during online classes had higher levels of emotional exhaustion than those who did not encounter these issues.

Table 3.: Significant differences between groups by burnout dimension regarding the type of problems encountered

Note: Significance level p< .05. Effect size values based on Cohen's δ test: .2 small effect, .5 medium effect and .8 large effect

Table 4 presents the results of the anova post-hoc analysis, examining differences in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization across different educational levels taught. The analysis shows that elementary school teachers reported significantly higher levels in both dimensions compared to teachers at other educational levels.

Table 4: Significant differences in dimensions and taught educational level

The association analysis revealed weak but significant negative correlations between age and both emotional exhaustion (r=-.183; p<0.01) and depersonalization (r=.176; p<0.01). This indicates that younger teachers reported feeling more emotionally drained and exhibited greater negative attitudes, insensitivity, and emotional distancing towards others.

Additionally, personal accomplishment showed a weak negative correlation with the number of students per group (r=-.130; p<0.01). This suggests that teachers with larger class sizes experienced lower levels of personal accomplishment, which in this context implies increased feelings of frustration and ineffectiveness.

Similarly, weak negative correlations were found between institutional support and both emotional exhaustion (r=-.245; p<0.01) and depersonalization (r=-.160; p<0.01). Teachers who reported receiving less support from their institutions to adapt to online teaching felt more emotionally exhausted and displayed higher levels of depersonalization.

Discussion and Conclusions

The Covid-19 pandemic significantly altered daily life worldwide, and in Mexico, teachers were among the first professionals to switch to remote mode as schools were closed to prevent virus spread. Despite sudden shift to online instruction, the demands of teaching persisted, exposing educators to increased stress and an elevated risk of burnout syndrome. Alongside traditional teaching responsibilities, adapting to emergency remote teaching —an entirely new experience for most— further amplified the pressures on teachers during the pandemic.

Burnout syndrome, as already mentioned, arises from prolonged exposure to stressful conditions, with cognitive, behavioral, physiological, and social effects that impact both the affected individuals and those around them (Maslach, 2009). Teaching is associated with several factors that may heighten the risk of burnout, as the pressures of the syndrome can negatively impact educators’ health and the quality of instruction. Given these implications, this study aimed to analyze burnout levels among Mexican teachers across various educational levels during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The findings indicate that teachers faced technological, pedagogical, logistical and socio-emotional challenges due to the abrupt transition to remote teaching. This aligns with the findings of Mendiola et al. (2021), who reported similar issues, with technological challenges being the most common. This high incidence of technological issues suggests a lack of preparation among teachers for adapting to online teaching (Rojas, 2021).

In terms of burnout, the Maslach Burnout Inventory results showed low levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, along with high levels of personal accomplishment across the sample. However, a percentage of participants exhibited symptoms characteristic of burnout syndrome, consistent with findings from other pandemic-era studies (Camacho et al., 2021; Cortez et al., 2021; Cortez & Heredia, 2022; Infante et al., 2021; Lopez & Zacarias, 2020; Martelo et al., 2021; Pillaca, 2021; Salcedo et al., 2020; Sanchez-Pujalte et al., 2021). As Maslach (2009) notes, some teachers felt overwhelmed, developed negative attitudes toward students and colleagues, exhibited distant behavior, and experienced feelings of frustration and ineffectiveness, even questioning their choice of profession.

The comparative analysis revealed gender-based differences in burnout, with women showing significantly higher levels of emotional exhaustion than men, consistent with previous research (Martínez-Pérez, 2010; Maslach & Leiter, 2017). Interestingly, although men often report higher levels of depersonalization in other studies, this difference did not emerge in our data. It is possible that the unique challenges of emergency remote teaching, combined with the general stress of the pandemic, may have affected women’s emotional states more intensely, leading to depersonalization levels similar to those of men.

Further, contractual situation, the types of challenges encountered (technological, logistical, pedagogical and socio-emotional), and the degree of institutional support for online teaching adaptation were all associated with increased emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. This finding is consistent with previous research by Esteras et al. (2018) , Cortéz et al. (2021), and Martínez-Pérez (2010), who observed that job stability and institutional support play crucial roles in burnout risk.

Educational level also influenced burnout dimensions. Interestingly, elementary school teachers reported both higher levels of emotional exhaustion and higher levels of personal accomplishment. This may suggest that despite the greater demands associated with teaching younger students, elementary educators found meaning and fulfillment in their work, possibly buffering against the negative effects of exhaustion.

Regarding age, the negative correlation with emotional exhaustion aligns with prior reasearch (Aguilar & Mayorga, 2020; Maslach & Leiter, 2017; Saborio & Hidalgo, 2015), indicating that experience may help teachers develop effective coping strategies. Additionally, teachers with larger class sizes reported lower levels of personal accomplishment, suggesting that managing a higher number of students may reduce feelings of fulfillment and effectiveness.

In summary, this study highlights the significant impact of the pandemic-induced shift to remote teaching on educators’ well-being. The abrupt change exposed teachers to new stressors, with participants reporting some level of burnout symptoms, representing a risk to their health. Prolonged exposure to these stressors could exacerbate symptoms, potentially impacting both teachers’ health and the quality of education they provide.

In conclusion, given the critical role that teachers play in shaping future generations and contributing to societal development, targeted interventions are essential. These interventions should address both individual needs for teachers with high burnout levels and systemic changes in organizational support to promote teacher well-being. Future research should continue to assess teachers' well-being as they navigate the “new normal” in teachers, providing insights into long-term effects and potential interventions.

One limitation of this study is that the data collection was conducted online, which may have limited access for some teachers, and most of the sample resided in the central Mexico.

Finally, we wish to emphasize the tremendous dedication of teachers across all educational levels, whose resilience and commitment helped sustain the Mexican educational system during this challenging period, despite numerous obstacles and limitations.