Emotional Labor Strategies, Burnout, and Mental Health among Special Education Teachers

This study examined the influence of emotional labor strategies, namely surface acting, deep acting, and genuine expression of emotions, on the mental health of special education teachers, with burnout serving as a mediator. A sample of 300 special education teachers (115 male, 185 female) aged 21 to 55 years (M = 30.76 years, SD = 6.82) from both private and public schools participated. The study utilized the Teachers Emotional Labor Strategy Scale (TELSS), the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), and the Mental Health Continuum-SF to assess emotional labor strategies, burnout, and mental health. Results showed that surface acting negatively predicted mental health and positively predicted burnout, while deep acting and genuine expression of emotions positively predicted mental health and its subscales (emotional, social, and psychological well-being) and negatively predicted burnout. Burnout was found to mediate the relationship between emotional labor strategies and mental health. These findings underscore the importance of fostering environments and providing support that encourage deep acting and genuine expressions of emotions, in order to mitigate burnout and enhance mental health among special education teachers. The results of the study are discussed in light of the literature on emotional labor and special education teachers’ mental health.