Relationships among humour, self-esteem, and social support to burnout in school teachers

This study examined the total, direct, and indirect effects of humour on burnout among 539 school teachers. As predicted, those with high humour reported significantly lower levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation but higher levels of personal accomplishment. Self-esteem consistently explained parts of the associations between humour and burnout components, whereas perceived social support from the principal, colleagues, and friends were significant mediators in the relationships between humour and emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and personal accomplishment respectively. Results call for an appropriate focus on the development of humour through strength-based and positive interventions to help teachers cope with burnout.