Job burnout may coincide with depression, according to the results of a new study involving public school teachers.
Irvin S. Schonfeld, PhD, City College of New York Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership, and Renzo Bianchi, Institute of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Neuchatel, Switzerland, conducted a survey of 1,386 public school teachers from pre-K through 12th grade across the United States during the 2013-14 academic year.
Based on their responses, fewer than 1% of teachers who showed no signs of burnout had a diagnosis of depression. However, 86% of those in the burnout group met criteria for depression, the researchers reported in The Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Teachers in the burnout group were also nearly three times more likely to have a history of depression, and four times as likely to be on an antidepressant than teachers in the other group. Those in the burnout group were also twice as likely to have a history of anxiety disorders.
“Our purpose was not to determine the prevalence of burnout or depressive symptoms in a representative sample of teachers,” Schonfeld and Bianchi wrote. “Our analytic purpose was to determine the extent to which burnout and depression overlap, both dimensionally and categorically.”
Eighty-six percent of teachers polled who said they felt burned out by their job met criteria for depression.
Burnout and depression overlap considerably, according to the latest study on the subject led by psychology Professor Irvin S. Schonfeld of The City College of New York’s Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership and his colleague, Renzo Bianchi, of the Institute of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Neuchatel, Switzerland.
The findings are based on a survey taken by 1,386 public school teachers, from pre-K to 12th grade across the United States, including New York, during the 2013-14 academic year.
Enjoying our content?
Thanks for visiting Psychiatry Advisor. We hope you’re enjoying the latest clinical news, full-length features, case studies, and more.
You’ve viewed {{metering-count}} of {{metering-total}} articles this month. If you wish to read unlimited content, please log in or register below. Registration is free.
{{login-button}} {{register-button}}
Log in to continue reading this article.
Don’t miss out on today’s top content on Psychiatry Advisor. Register for free and gain unlimited access to:
- Clinical News, with personalized daily picks for you
- Evidence-Based Guidance
- Conference Coverage
- Unique Psychiatry Case Studies
- Full-Length Features
- Drug Monographs
- And More
{{login-button}} {{register-button}}
Want to read more?
Please login or register first to view this content.