Work-Related Health Factors in General and Special Education Teachers

Comparison of Burnout, Occupational Balance, Stress, Musculoskeletal Symptoms, and Pain Characteristics Between General Education and Special Education Teachers: A Cross-Sectional Study

This cross-sectional study aims to compare work-related health outcomes between general education teachers and special education teachers. The study will assess burnout, occupational balance, perceived stress, musculoskeletal symptoms, pain characteristics, and general job satisfaction.

Participants will complete an online questionnaire including sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, such as age, sex, teaching experience, working hours, and type of teaching assignment. Standardized self-report measures will be used to evaluate burnout, occupational balance, perceived stress, musculoskeletal symptoms, and pain-related characteristics.

The study will examine whether teachers working in special education differ from general education teachers in terms of burnout, stress, occupational balance, musculoskeletal problems, and pain. The findings may help identify occupational health needs among teachers and support the development of preventive strategies for improving their well-being and working conditions.

Teachers may be exposed to physical, psychosocial, and organizational demands during their professional activities. These demands may vary according to the characteristics of the educational setting, student population, classroom environment, workload, and responsibilities associated with teaching. Special education teachers may experience additional demands related to individualized instruction, behavioral management, physical assistance, communication needs, and greater emotional involvement with students.

This cross-sectional study will investigate differences in occupational health-related outcomes between general education teachers and special education teachers. The study will focus on burnout, occupational balance, perceived stress, musculoskeletal symptoms, pain characteristics, and job satisfaction. In addition, sociodemographic and work-related characteristics, including age, sex, teaching experience, weekly working hours, type of school, and teaching assignment, will be collected to describe the participants and explore factors potentially associated with the study outcomes.

Data will be collected through an online questionnaire. Participants will complete validated self-report instruments and study-specific questions regarding demographic characteristics, occupational conditions, pain, and musculoskeletal complaints. Teachers will be classified according to whether they work in general education or special education settings.

The findings are expected to contribute to a better understanding of occupational health needs among teachers working in different educational environments. Identifying differences between these groups may support the development of workplace-based preventive approaches aimed at reducing burnout, stress, musculoskeletal problems, and pain while promoting occupational balance and overall well-being.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 18 years or older.
• Currently employed as a general education teacher or special education teacher.
• Actively working in a school or educational institution at the time of data collection.
• Able to read and understand Turkish.
• Able and willing to provide informed consent and complete the online questionnaire.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not currently working as a teacher during the data collection period (e.g., on leave, retired, or not actively employed).
• Working in an administrative position only, without active teaching responsibilities.
• Incomplete questionnaire responses that prevent calculation of the main outcome measures.