Associations between Childhood Trauma, Perceived Resilience, and Teacher Burnout

This study investigates how teacher burnout symptoms can be explained by childhood trauma and perceived resilience. Self-assessment surveys, designed to measure adverse childhood experiences, ability to bounce back after hardship, and burnout symptoms, were completed by 146 kindergarten through 12th-grade U. S. public school teachers. Structural equation modelling analysis revealed a significant indirect relationship between burnout symptoms and childhood maltreatment mediated by perceived resilience, with 49% of the variation in self-reported burnout symptoms accounted for by the model. Results suggest that a perceived sense of resilience helps teachers diminish the negative impact of childhood trauma and lessen symptoms of burnout.