Teacher burnout and economic crisis effects in Greek primary education : a multidimensional analysis of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal achievement

Background: Professional burnout, characterized by three distinct psychological dimensions-emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal achievement-threatens elementary teachers' well-being and educational quality. Limited research examines burnout patterns in elementary education contexts experiencing economic crisis, particularly the interplay between workplace stress and societal stressors. Notably, the bidirectional relationship between workplace burnout and economic crisis burden, a distinctive contribution of this study, remains underexplored. Methods: A cross-sectional study surveyed 128 Greek elementary education teachers (response rate: 87.7%) during October 2024 using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey (MBI-ES) and demographic questionnaires. Statistical analysis examined relationships among burnout dimensions, demographic factors, and the psychological impact of the economic crisis. Results: Teachers demonstrated moderate emotional exhaustion (M = 25.09, SD = 11.05), with 35.9% experiencing high levels. Personal accomplishment was largely preserved, with 64.1% maintaining at least moderate levels, while depersonalization remained low, with 51.6% scoring in the low range and only 20.3% exhibiting high levels. Substitute teachers showed significantly higher depersonalization than permanent staff (7.92 vs. 4.73, p < 0.001). Male teachers reported nearly twice the level of depersonalization as females (9.66 vs. 5.36, p = 0.050). Emotional exhaustion strongly predicted the psychological impact of the economic crisis (β = 0.416, p < 0.001), explaining 27.4% of the variance. Most notably, this study establishes a bidirectional relationship between burnout and economic crisis burden-a distinctive contribution to the literature-revealing that emotional exhaustion predicts economic crisis psychological impact (β = 0.416, p < 0.001) while economic stress equally predicts emotional exhaustion (β = 0.413, p < 0.001), creating a reciprocal vulnerability cycle between occupational and societal stressors. The asymmetrical burnout pattern-moderate emotional exhaustion alongside preserved personal accomplishment (64.1% at least moderate) and low depersonalization (51.6% low)-suggests Greek teachers maintain professional efficacy despite emotional depletion. Conclusions: Emotional exhaustion, explaining 27.4% of the variance in economic crisis psychological burden (β = 0.416, p < 0.001), emerges as the central vulnerability linking workplace stress to broader societal stressors. Crucially, bidirectional analyses revealed that economic stress equally predicts emotional exhaustion (β = 0.413, p < 0.001), establishing a reciprocal vulnerability cycle between occupational and societal stressors. The asymmetrical burnout pattern-moderate emotional exhaustion alongside preserved personal accomplishment and low depersonalization-suggests Greek teachers maintain professional efficacy despite emotional depletion. These findings support targeted interventions prioritizing emotional recovery, employment security for substitute teachers, and gender-specific support in primary education.