Examining the Mediating Role of the Fear of COVID-19 in the Relationship Between Anxiety and Burnout Levels Among Teachers in Turkey

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic stands as one of the most significant challenges confronting education and training systems worldwide. Since the early stages of the pandemic, teachers have experienced elevated levels of stress accompanied by symptoms of anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances, particularly due to the demands of distance learning. Although there are studies on this subject, more evidence is needed to explore the role of the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkish teachers’ anxiety and burnout. Consequently, the present study aimed to examine the mediating role of the fear of COVID-19 in the relationship between the anxiety experienced by teachers and the level of burnout in studies conducted on teachers during the pandemic process. A total of 262 (57.8% female) teachers from Turkey completed a questionnaire comprising psychometric instruments of the aforementioned variables. The path analysis indicated that fear of COVID-19 mediated the association between anxiety and personal success sub-dimension of burnout, but not emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. The findings of the present study indicate that anxious feelings may exacerbate burnout among teachers in Turkey and that the fear of COVID-19 may play a role on that aforementioned relationship. Consequently, health professionals and clinicians that aim to develop intervention and treatment strategies for Turkish teachers’ anxiety and burnout levels should take the fear of COVID-19 into consideration.

Keywords: Anxiety, Burn Out, Fear Of COVID-19, Pandemic, Teachers

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/14-3-07

Publication date: April 30^th 2024