Parents-teachers’ relationships : effects on the burnout of special education teachers

This article analyses the effects of parents-teachers’ relationships on special education teachers’ burnout. Health at work was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory among Swiss special education teachers (N=301) who work with children with special educational needs. Results show three main elements. Teachers are satisfied with the parents’ collaboration; quality of the perceived relationships influences the scores for exhaustion and achievement, but not for depersonalization; teachers are neither exhausted nor depersonalized, but at risk for personal achievement.