Work demands, supervisor support, coping and burnout among teachers

Little is known about factors that could potentially affect burnout levels in teachers working with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The aim of the study was to investigate burnout syndrome among teachers working with children with autism and to investigate how coping styles, supervisor support and workload are related to burnout. Sixty-five teachers in New South Wales Australia participated in a questionnaire study focused on their reports of burnout, work demands, supervisor support and the use of different coping strategies. Results showed that over eighty percent of teachers teaching children with autism in this study were experiencing moderate to high levels of emotional exhaustion. Results from hierarchical regression analyses indicated that the three components of burnout were associated with different factors; excessive work demands and the use of avoidance coping strategies played a central role in the prediction of increased burnout; on the other hand, the satisfactory level of supervisor support predicts the decrease in teacher burnout. Implications of this study include the importance of providing effective and appropriate supervision for staff, and for teachers to avoid the use of avoidance coping strategies, and for schools and education policy makers to improve working condition for teachers.