ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3234-9583
Year
2026
Season
Spring
Paper Type
Master's Thesis
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree Name
Master of Science in Psychological Science (MSPS)
Department
Psychological and Brain Sciences
NACO controlled Corporate Body
University of North Florida. Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Committee Chairperson
Dr. Dawn Witherspoon
Second Advisor
Dr. Paul Fuglestad
Rights Statement
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Abstract
Head Start (HS) is the largest federally funded early education program in the United States, serving low-income families. Head Start educators (HSEs) frequently face heightened perceived stress and depression levels that contribute to diminished physical and mental health due to an imbalance between resources and workload responsibilities (Whitaker et al., 2013). This cross-sectional study examined associations among burnout, depersonalization, quality of life (QoL), weight status, and blood pressure (BP) among 180 educators across two HS programs. Analytic samples varied due to non-random measure- and item-level missing data. Burnout was measured using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, depersonalization with a validated single‑item measure, QoL using the SF‑36v2, and BP and BMI via onsite health screenings. Descriptive statistics indicated low to moderate levels of burnout, with Personal Burnout highest. Depersonalization was low overall. Participants reported approximately average physical QoL and above above-average mental QoL relative to chronically ill U.S. population norms. Most participants were classified as overweight or obese, and a substantial proportion of those with available data exhibited elevated or hypertensive BP. Bivariate analyses indicated that all burnout domains were significantly negatively associated with physical QoL, while personal and client/student-related burnout were significantly associated with mental QoL. Work-related burnout was not significantly associated with mental QoL. Burnout was not significantly associated with BP, nor was BP associated with QoL outcomes. Mediation analyses using PROCESS Model 4 indicated that systolic and DBP did not mediate the relationship between burnout and QoL, as all indirect effects were nonsignificant with confidence intervals including zero. Overall, findings suggest that burnout is associated with perceived QoL among HSEs, but these relationships are not explained by BP.
Suggested Citation
Wilkinson, Katie, "The burden of burnout: Investigating the effects on quality of life and blood pressure in Head Start educators" (2026). UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 1423.
https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/etd/1423
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