The Relationship Between Stress, Burnout, Attendance, and Methods of Self-Care Among Teachers

<p>Teachers exposed to prolonged stress have been documented at higher risk for poor physical and mental health, including high blood pressure, anxiety, and depression. To ameliorate the effects of prolonged stress, teachers have employed a variety of coping strategies, and some sought medical care. To date, little research exists regarding absenteeism and medication usage among teachers. This study sought to determine the relationship between stress, burnout, and medication usage in relation to absenteeism. This study also sought to determine the role of thriving in the above relationships. An internet-based survey was distributed to U.S. teachers via social media and email. Items included were questions related to demographics, job stressors, stress levels, coping strategies, medical history, work attendance, doctor visits, and medications. Results revealed that stress continues to predict burnout while thriving moderated their relationship. Despite 71% of participants reporting medication usage to address stress-related symptoms, medication usage did not add independent variance to the established relationship between stress and burnout. Lastly, stress, thriving, doctor visits, and absences predicted absenteeism but did not predict presenteeism. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy - School Psychology

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Human Services

Year dc:date.available

2025

Author dc:creator

• Sturm, Jennifer M

Contributors dc:contributor

• Luis Aguerrevere, Ph.D.
• Frankie Clark, Ph.D.
• Elaine Turner, Ph.D.

• teachers
• stress
• burnout
• attendance
• coping strategies
• medication
• thriving
• School Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/657

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.sfasu.edu:etds-1667