Bureaucracy, overload, and management: The determinants of teacher burnout

Background: While burnout in teachers is frequently studied in relation to personal resources and
individual obstacles, less attention has been given to social and systemic stressors. This study
investigates how various interpersonal, group, and community-related factors contribute to the
development of burnout symptoms in the teaching profession.
Methods: A quantitative design was adopted to explore the impact of 11 identified stressors on
teacher burnout. A sample of 274 Italian teachers (84.67% female; mean teaching experience = 17.99
years, SD = 10.21) completed a survey assessing stress levels and the Maslach Burnout Inventory –
General Survey (MBI-GS). The analysis focused on three dimensions of burnout: emotional
exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy.
Results: The findings revealed complex cause-effect relationships. Bureaucratic obligations,
overlapping stressors, difficulties in classroom management, and challenges during lesson delivery
emerged as the most significant predictors of the burnout subdimensions.
Conclusions: The results highlight the importance of adopting a systemic and social perspective in
the analysis of teacher burnout. A more comprehensive framework is needed to fully understand the
multifactorial nature of stress in the teaching profession and to develop effective intervention strategies.