A Correlational Study of the Relationship Between Holistic Self-Care Practices and Burnout in Middle School Teachers

Teachers, particularly at the middle school level, are experiencing feelings of burnout, leading to high attrition rates. Wellness initiatives have been implemented in schools to help combat burnout, but few have taken a holistic approach to self-care. The theory of holism supports that teachers who take care of all aspects of self—physical, essential, creative, coping, and social—are ultimately able to be more engaged, effective teachers. The goal of this study was to determine the relationship burnout has with holistic self-care practices, gender, and years within the profession for full-time middle-level educators. A total of 196 full-time teachers of grades six, seven, and eight from the United States were surveyed, using two valid instruments: the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Educator Survey and the Five-Factor Wellness Inventory. A quantitative correlational research design was utilized for this study to examine the direction and magnitude of the relationships. Findings from this study indicated a statistically significant negative correlation between measures of self-care and burnout, and no correlation between burnout and gender, or burnout and years within the profession. The results from this study suggest that educational policies and practices must be adapted to promote wellness for educators at all stages of their careers