Burnout, Self-Care, and Meal-Skipping Behaviour among School Teachers

Abstract

Teaching is a demanding profession, and school teachers experience significant stress from occupational demands and domestic duties, yet their well-being is often overlooked. This study examined the associations between teacher burnout, self-care, and mealskipping behaviour using a mixed-methods correlational design. The sample comprised 112 school teachers (N=112) obtained from convenience sampling across various school boards. Qualitative data were derived from the short-response questionnaire and structured interviews with 4 school teachers (N=4) for thematic exploration. Measures used were the Teacher Burnout Scale, the Self-Care in Your Workplace Questionnaire, and a brief self-report checklist assessing meal-skipping behaviour. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, ANOVA, correlation, regression analyses, and thematic analysis were conducted. Findings indicated moderate rates of burnout and self-care, with 59.8% of participants reporting meal-skipping behaviour. Significant differences in self-care were observed across age groups and meal-skipping categories, but burnout did not vary across these groups. A significant inverse relationship was observed between self-care and burnout, with self-care significantly predicting burnout. Qualitative findings highlighted meal-skipping as an outcome of workload pressure, time constraints, and organizational demands among teachers. Findings also indicated that organizational and emotional demands contribute to burnout, which is associated with disrupted health behaviours such as meal skipping and inconsistent self-care under workload pressures.