Burnout, Psychological Distress and Coping Strategies among Primary School Teachers in Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State

Abstract

This study investigated the burnout, psychological distress and coping strategies among primary school teachers in Nsukka LGA, Enugu State. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional survey research design. The population for the study comprised all 914 primary school teachers in Nsukka LGA. The sample size for the study was 280 primary school teachers. The instruments for data collection were Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), General Health Questionnaire 12 item version (GHQ-12), and Brief Coping Orientation Questionnaire (BCOQ). The demographic variables were analysed using frequencies and percentages. The research questions were answered using means, standard deviations, and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The null hypotheses were tested using simple and multiple linear regression. The findings showed that primary school teachers in Nsukka LGA had low level of burnout (EE score = 13.03; DE score = 6.29; PA/PE score = 27.3), high level of psychological distress (GHQ-12 score = 25.9), the primary school teachers in Nsukka adopted problem-focused coping strategies (brief coping = 2.34). Also,. There was positive moderate relationship between burnout and psychological distress (r = 45, p = .000). There were significant relationships between teachers’ burnout and psychological distress ( = 1.035; p < .05), teachers’ burnout and demographic factors ( = 10.631, p < .05). There were significant relationships between teachers’ psychological distress and gender (beta = 2.715, p < .05), ( =3.344, p < .05) and educational qualification ( = -1.576, p < .05). The researcher recommended among others the need for provision of a conducive working environment for primary school teachers by the government. Also, health education interventions should be implemented at primary schools by health educators to facilitate adoption of effective coping strategies by teachers.