The interplay of stress, burnout, and mindful self-care in school psychologists.

Abstract

School psychologists take on many tasks and responsibilities in their practice, whether that be in schools, clinics, or private practices. In this role, they risk experiencing ongoing stress that can result in burnout. Although previous literature on this topic has mentioned methods of coping with stress and preventing burnout, there has been little research on the impact of mindful self-care methods on levels of stress and burnout in school psychologists. Using data from a sample of 350 practicing school psychologists, this research examined the interplay of mindful self-care with stress and general and specific features of burnout in school psychologists. School psychologists reported moderate to high levels of stress, general burnout, and emotional exhaustion. They reported engaging in mindful self-care activities 2-3 days per week, on average. Moderation analysis revealed that the interaction of mindful self-care and stress was not a statistically significant predictor of general burnout; however, it was a statistically significant predictor of emotional exhaustion. The interaction terms represented small to medium effect sizes, respectively. Mindful self-care appeared to strengthen the relationship between stress and emotional exhaustion. These findings indicate that, despite experiencing notable work-related stress, school psychologists do not appear to be reaping the potential benefits of mindful self-care in terms of decreased feelings of emotional exhaustion at high levels of stress. Because mindful self-care is not a comprehensive solution to burnout among school psychologists, systemic changes should be made to their work environments and their expectations to address the stress and burnout they experience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).