Emotional labor, job-related stress, and burnout in school leadership: insights from educational administrators
Abstract Background Previous studies in various professional domains have indicated that emotional labor is a significant predictor of burnout. However, inconsistent findings suggest the need to explore mediating factors. This study investigates the relationship between emotional labor and burnout a...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | BMC Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02987-4 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849331908200103936 |
|---|---|
| author | Başak Coşkun Sevda Katıtaş Barış Eriçok |
| author_facet | Başak Coşkun Sevda Katıtaş Barış Eriçok |
| author_sort | Başak Coşkun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Previous studies in various professional domains have indicated that emotional labor is a significant predictor of burnout. However, inconsistent findings suggest the need to explore mediating factors. This study investigates the relationship between emotional labor and burnout among school administrators in Türkiye, focusing on the mediating role of job-related stress within the framework of the Job-Demand-Control-Support model. Methods The study employed a correlational cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected from 385 school administrators (principals and vice principals) in eight provinces in Türkiye using validated scales for emotional labor, job-related stress, and burnout. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Bootstrap analysis were used to test the direct and indirect relationships among variables. Results SEM results indicated that emotional labor significantly predicted job-related stress (β = 0.461, p <.001), and job-related stress strongly predicted burnout (β = 0.851, p <. 001). While emotional labor initially appeared to influence burnout directly (β = 0.475, p <.001), this effect became non-significant when job-related stress was introduced as a mediator, indicating full mediation. The model explained 80% of the variance in burnout. Conclusions The findings demonstrate that job-related stress fully mediates the relationship between emotional labor and burnout among school administrators. These results highlight the importance of organizational support mechanisms and the need to consider emotional demands in leadership roles to mitigate burnout. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9229cb94aafd44b490a939a9dc2a09df |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2050-7283 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-9229cb94aafd44b490a939a9dc2a09df2025-08-20T03:46:23ZengBMCBMC Psychology2050-72832025-07-0113111110.1186/s40359-025-02987-4Emotional labor, job-related stress, and burnout in school leadership: insights from educational administratorsBaşak Coşkun0Sevda Katıtaş1Barış Eriçok2Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli UniversityFaculty of Education, Department of Educational Sciences, Yıldız Technical UniversityFaculty of Education, Department of Educational Sciences, Ordu UniversityAbstract Background Previous studies in various professional domains have indicated that emotional labor is a significant predictor of burnout. However, inconsistent findings suggest the need to explore mediating factors. This study investigates the relationship between emotional labor and burnout among school administrators in Türkiye, focusing on the mediating role of job-related stress within the framework of the Job-Demand-Control-Support model. Methods The study employed a correlational cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected from 385 school administrators (principals and vice principals) in eight provinces in Türkiye using validated scales for emotional labor, job-related stress, and burnout. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Bootstrap analysis were used to test the direct and indirect relationships among variables. Results SEM results indicated that emotional labor significantly predicted job-related stress (β = 0.461, p <.001), and job-related stress strongly predicted burnout (β = 0.851, p <. 001). While emotional labor initially appeared to influence burnout directly (β = 0.475, p <.001), this effect became non-significant when job-related stress was introduced as a mediator, indicating full mediation. The model explained 80% of the variance in burnout. Conclusions The findings demonstrate that job-related stress fully mediates the relationship between emotional labor and burnout among school administrators. These results highlight the importance of organizational support mechanisms and the need to consider emotional demands in leadership roles to mitigate burnout.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02987-4Emotional laborBurnoutJob-related stressSchool leadershipSchool administratorsSEM |
| spellingShingle | Başak Coşkun Sevda Katıtaş Barış Eriçok Emotional labor, job-related stress, and burnout in school leadership: insights from educational administrators BMC Psychology Emotional labor Burnout Job-related stress School leadership School administrators SEM |
| title | Emotional labor, job-related stress, and burnout in school leadership: insights from educational administrators |
| title_full | Emotional labor, job-related stress, and burnout in school leadership: insights from educational administrators |
| title_fullStr | Emotional labor, job-related stress, and burnout in school leadership: insights from educational administrators |
| title_full_unstemmed | Emotional labor, job-related stress, and burnout in school leadership: insights from educational administrators |
| title_short | Emotional labor, job-related stress, and burnout in school leadership: insights from educational administrators |
| title_sort | emotional labor job related stress and burnout in school leadership insights from educational administrators |
| topic | Emotional labor Burnout Job-related stress School leadership School administrators SEM |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02987-4 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT basakcoskun emotionallaborjobrelatedstressandburnoutinschoolleadershipinsightsfromeducationaladministrators AT sevdakatıtas emotionallaborjobrelatedstressandburnoutinschoolleadershipinsightsfromeducationaladministrators AT barısericok emotionallaborjobrelatedstressandburnoutinschoolleadershipinsightsfromeducationaladministrators |