The longitudinal effects of teachers' socio-emotional competences on stress and burnout

Within the growing emphasis on school well-being, which impacts both teaching and learning in multiple ways, the psychological resources required by teachers to deal with the challenges of their everyday work have also come under increased scrutiny. Scholars have particularly focused on socio-emotional competences (SECs) and its relationship with stress and burnout. However, few studies have analyzed the extent to which SECs protects against these negative outcomes over time and whether length of teaching experience influences such effects. In the current study, the longitudinal effects of teachers’ SECs on their self-perceived stress and risk of burnout were examined, controlling for the effect of the variable “years of work experience”. A sample of 276 teachers (mean age 1⁄4 46.6 years ± 9.9 years) completed questionnaires about SECs, self-perceived stress and burnout, and their own socio-demographic profiles, at two time points (the beginning and end of the same academic year). A cross-lagged model showed that SECs were associated with the teachers’ levels of stress at Time 1 and their risk of burnout at Time 2. Furthermore, length of teaching experience was related to both SECs and burnout at Time 1. These findings and their potential implications are discussed.