An Exploratory Study of Occupational Burnout among Selected Health Educators

Abstract

Burnout has been described as a condition resulting from emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. It particularly affects those individuals in the “helping professions,” and contributes to job withdrawal, absenteeism, and depression. This study used the Maslach Burnout Inventory to assess the degree of burnout among health educators who were members of the Florida Association of Professional Health Educators. The results showed that this sample of health educators had lower burnout scores than some other professional groups. Limitations of this study and implications for future research are discussed.