Teachers emotional well-being: the role of demographic variables in mediating workload and emotional exhaustion

Abstract

The relationship between workload and emotional exhaustion is dynamic. Various demographic variables mediate between workload and emotional exhaustion, including gender, age, marital status, level of education, work experience, number of lessons per week, teaching subject, and the school category. However, there is a lack of current information on various demographic valuables’ role in the relationship between workload and emotional exhaustion among teachers. This article aims to explain the mediation role of the selected demographic variables in the relationship between workload and the emotional exhaustion of high school teachers in Kiambu County, Kenya. The study utilized 367 teachers, of which 331 responded to the questionnaire. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to determine how the variables mediated the relationship between workload and emotional exhaustion of the teachers. The mixed results indicated that various demographic factors mediated the relationship between workload and emotional exhaustion either positively or negatively. Given the dynamic nature of the workload for teachers, it would be essential to consider the demographic variables to ensure teachers’ emotional health.