Burnout of Special Educators Serving Students With Emotional-Behavioral Disorders: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

We examined changes in burnout across three timepoints in one school year, in a sample ( N = 230) of special educators serving students with emotional-behavioral disorders, in 15 school districts selected through stratified random sampling at the national level. Emotional exhaustion decreased at each timepoint in the school year and personal accomplishment increased from fall to spring. Latent growth curve modeling did not produce latent trajectories of burnout among teachers; however, cross-lagged panel structure equation modeling revealed that emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment had both direct and indirect effects on depersonalization. Differences in burnout were significant by race/ethnicity but not by gender. Participants reported higher emotional exhaustion, lower depersonalization, and higher personal accomplishment than a national sample. We provide implications for researchers and practitioners.

Working Conditions and Burnout of Special Educators of Students With EBD: Longitudinal Outcomes

“…Second, all extant studies were cross-sectional; there appear to be no longitudinal studies of factors ameliorating SETs’ burnout. In a recent study with the same sample and data as the current study, we examined (a) the interrelation of SETs’ dimensions of burnout across three time points in the school year as well as (b) differences between burnout levels of SETs serving students with EBD and a national sample of educators (Brunsting et al, 2021). The current study extends this inquiry, providing the field with an initial examination of the impact of perceptions of working conditions on SETs’ burnout longitudinally.…”

The impact of COVID‐19 on teachers' transition practices for students with disabilities in Illinois, USA

“…Considering that students with EBD tend to show lower academic achievements (Bradley et al., 2008; Bullock and Gable, 2006; Kena et al., 2014; Nelson et al., 2004; Reid et al., 2004) when compared with students with other type of disabilities, and considering that these students require defined limits, rules and task expectations to be successful in the school setting, there is no wonder that they were the most affected. Research suggests that special education teachers of students with EBD have the highest burnout rate when compared with other special education teachers serving other disabilities, even when provided with support (Bettini et al., 2017; Billingsley and Bettini, 2019; Brunsting et al., 2022). This is due to challenging externalising behaviours (e.g., defiance), internalising behaviours (e.g., anxiety) or both (Kauffman and Landrum, 2018) often exhibited by students with EBD.…”

Experiences of Working Conditions Among Special Education Teachers of Color Serving Students With EBD

“…Both studies yielded responses from a substantial proportion of SETs of color (≅ 27% in Study 1; ≅ 25% in Study 2), providing an opportunity to explore racial/ethnic differences in working conditions. More information about each study is in original publications of their results (Bettini, Cumming, et al, 2020; Brunsting et al, 2021; Brunsting et al, 2022; Cumming et al, 2021; O’Brien et al, 2019), and Table 1 presents major similarities and differences between them.…”

“…For the present study, we use data from the first time point (Fall, 2019), which was the only time point at which we collected working conditions data, and from the third time point (Spring, 2020), which was the only time point in which we asked about intent to stay. For more detail, see Brunsting et al (2021) and Brunsting et al (2022).…”