Occupational influences relative to the burnout phenomenon among Japanese nursery school teachers.

To identify and evaluate recent working conditions and job content of nursery school teachers in Japan, as well as the prevalence of the burnout phenomenon and the occupational influences responsible for it, a questionnaire survey was carried out. The subjects consisted of 719 nursery school teachers and 204 municipal clerical workers as the control group. Working conditions and workload burdens were more severe among nursery school teachers than those of the clerical workers. The burnout phenomenon among the nursery school teachers was characterized by emotional exhaustion. Moreover, the rate ratio and multivariate analyses indicated that a great variety of occupational factors, not only interpersonal relationships, but also the general working conditions and specific physical or mental workloads, influenced the burnout phenomenon as well. Therefore, in examining measures dealing with the burnout phenomenon among nursery school teachers, it is important to evaluate the occupational factors systematically and comprehensively.