Emotional exhaustion in day-care workers

The purpose of this study is to examine which job functions contribute to emotional exhaustion among preschool teachers and assistants. The author examines the effect of, for example, different work tasks, co-worker support and role clarity, and compares the results for preschool teachers and assistants to reveal possible differences between the professional groups' experience of work-related emotional exhaustion.

Overall, the statistical analysis points at three aspects of pedagogical work that are crucial for the level of emotional exhaustion: clear roles, clear expectations and co-worker support. When staff feel confident in their work roles and in what is required from them, and experience support from their co-workers, the level of exhaustion is lower for both preschool teachers and assistants. The author assesses that the three aspects should be considered as dominant factors in ensuring emotional well-being for both preschool teachers and assistants. The analysis also indicates that frequent participation in tasks related to contact with parents and to teaching is correlated with a higher level of emotional exhaustion.

The author used a questionnaire containing questions regarding emotional exhaustion, and questions regarding work tasks, roles, expectations, competences and being confident in the work role. The questionnaire also included a number of control variables, including age, gender, weekly working hours and work experience. The statistical analysis is based on responses from 1192 preschool teachers and 1357 assistants from 588 preschools.

Løvgren, M. (2016). Emotional exhaustion in day-care workers. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal 24(1), 157-167.