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The Enemy Within: Work-Related Stress and the Education Crisis: History
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Contributor: Michelle Jayman

Stress in the workplace has been recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a global health epidemic. Research examining the most stressful industries to work in the UK consistently ranks education among the highest groups, encompassing early years practitioners to higher education academics. One of the most commonly reported contributory factors is poor work–life balance, with high levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation—key components of burnout—endemic. Related research has highlighted unprecedented mental health difficulties among children and young people; while many educators feel ill-equipped to manage the levels of mental distress they encounter in the classroom and playground on a daily basis, contributing to their own diminished wellbeing. The current author posits that at the heart of a well-functioning learning environment is the holistic wellbeing of every member of the education community. This paper brings together evidence from across different levels of education to expose systemic failures to address work-related stressors, highlighting gaps in effective support mechanisms to meet the needs of both learners and educators. Philosophical questions concerning professional identities and the function of a contemporary education system with mental health on its agenda are considered. Finally, recommendations are put forward to help tackle the current crisis and curb the exodus of professionals from across the sector.

  • education
  • work-related stress
  • burnout
  • mental health and wellbeing
  • professional identity
  • early years
  • schools
  • higher education
Stress in the workplace has been recognised by the WHO as a global health epidemic, with an estimated 12 billion working days lost every year due to depression and anxiety among the workforce [1]. In one UK survey, almost a third of employees (30 percent) reported work-related stress, and one in nine (11 percent) claimed to be affected daily [2]. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) serves to remind employers of their legal duty to protect employees from stress at work, although no specific regulatory framework is applied [3]. The HSE’s concerns for workers’ physical health is well documented in its inspection and enforcement practices, yet no parallel process is implemented for work-related stress, exposing a worrying gap. Against this backdrop, the education sector is universally ranked as one of the most stressful industries to work in [4]. Workload intensification and accountability pressures have contributed to growing numbers of teachers turning to antidepressants to cope with “unmanageable” work demands [5][6]. Elevated levels of emotional stress and anxiety related to the workplace are rife across all levels of education—from the early years to higher education—leading to a sector increasingly synonymous with burnout and professional exodus.
Over recent decades, discourse around mental health and the role of education have become increasingly interwoven, prompting some authors to ask: What becomes of mental health when it is formulated into an ‘agenda’ for education? [7]. According to the WHO [8], “Mental health is a state of mental wellbeing that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community.” The WHO’s universally adopted definition moves away from medicalised notions of ill health and the treatment of disorders, embracing a holistic concept of mental wellbeing. For clarity, the broader concept of overall wellbeing additionally encompasses physical, social and economic components [9]. In the wake of this fresh perspective on mental health, many countries, including the UK, have campaigned to reposition public responsibility beyond the realm of the health sector. Schools and other education settings are now promoted as ideal environments to nurture and support learners’ mental wellbeing, generating a ‘virtuous circle’ with reciprocal effects on academic progress [10][11].
Conversely, education settings are associated with multiple stressors contributing to impoverished mental wellbeing including academic, social and interpersonal pressures. Certainly, there is a wealth of evidence documenting escalating mental health difficulties among both learners and educators. To date, the primary focus has been on identifying and addressing the needs of learners, while those of staff have received notably less attention [12]. This stubborn discrepancy is a major oversight; not least, given the known association between the mental wellbeing of educators and student outcomes [13][14]. Longitudinal studies have shown that teachers have a significant impact on the long-term physical and mental health of their students [15]; while related research found a negative association between teacher stress, burnout and poor mental health, and learners’ academic achievements [16][17]. Although studies at higher education level are relatively limited, Madigan and Kim [18] concluded that staff burnout had multiple implications for students including lower academic performance and motivation, and poorer mental wellbeing. Beyond the systemic benefits for learners, the welfare of educators deserves consideration in its own right. The workforce is at crisis point and tackling staff mental wellbeing can help to improve job satisfaction, reduce work-related stress and burnout, and bolster staff retention—enabling both students and educators to reach their full potential. Clearly, the mental health needs of staff warrants equal priority in education settings and research.
Furthermore, there is a notable gap in the literature in terms of comprehensive approaches that pool together different levels of education in discourse around creating mentally healthy learning spaces [19]. This paper aims to synthesise the evidence from the early years to higher education and consider the key challenges and the step change required to address the current mental health crisis across the sector. The primary focus is on the UK, a country at the forefront of multiple campaigns and initiatives on mental wellbeing in education, providing a rich case study that will be of interest and relevance to an international readership.

This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/encyclopedia6010010

References

  1. World Health Organization (WHO). Mental Health at Work. 2024. Available online: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-at-work (accessed on 10 August 2025).
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  3. Bell, N. Why It’s Time to Inspect Work-Related Stress. The Psychologist. 2024. Available online: https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/why-its-time-inspect-work-related-stress (accessed on 10 August 2025).
  4. Glass, R. How Stressed Are Teachers Compared with Other Professions? Schools Week. 2025. Available online: https://schoolsweek.co.uk/how-stressed-are-teachers-compared-with-other-professions/ (accessed on 12 August 2025).
  5. National Education Union. The State of Education 2023. 2023. Available online: https://neu.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-11/State%20of%20Education%202023%20Final%20Report.pdf (accessed on 12 August 2025).
  6. National Education Union. State of Education: Workload and Wellbeing. 2024. Available online: https://neu.org.uk/latest/press-releases/state-education-workload-and-wellbeing (accessed on 12 August 2025).
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  8. World Health Organization (WHO). Mental Health. 2025. Available online: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response (accessed on 10 August 2025).
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  11. Frazier, T.; Doyle Fosco, S.L. Nurturing positive mental health and wellbeing in educational settings—The PRICES model. Front. Public Health 2024, 11, 1287532.
  12. Luu, X.; Keilar, C.; Paras, L.; Tavener, M.; James, E.L.; Johnson, N.A. How do setting-level changes in universities affect mental health and wellbeing? A systematic mixed studies review. Ment. Health Prev. 2024, 34, 200338.
  13. De Rubeis, V.; Repchuck, R.; Halladay, J.; Cost, K.T.; Thabane, L.; Georgiades, K. The association between teacher distress and student mental health outcomes: A cross-sectional study using data from the school mental health survey. BMC Psychol. 2024, 12, 583.
  14. Harding, S.; Morris, R.; Gunnell, D.; Ford, T.; Hollingworth, W.; Tilling, K.; Evans, R.; Bell, S.; Grey, J.; Brockman, R.; et al. Is teachers’ mental health and wellbeing associated with students’ mental health and wellbeing? J. Affect. Disord. 2019, 242, 180–187.
  15. Lowry, C.; Leonard-Kane, R.; Gibbs, B.; Muller, L.-M.; Peacock, A.; Jani, A. Teachers: The forgotten health workforce. J. R. Soc. Med. 2022, 115, 133–137.
  16. Gibson, S.; Carroll, C. Stress, Burnout, Anxiety and Depression: How They Impact on the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Teachers and on Learner Outcomes. Education Support. 2021. Available online: https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/media/qeupkgep/literature-review-stress-anxiety-burnout-and-depression-impact-on-teachers-and-on-learner-outcomes.pdf (accessed on 10 August 2025).
  17. Hascher, T.; Waber, J. Teacher well-being: A systematic review of the research literature from the year 2000–2019. Educ. Res. Rev. 2021, 34, 100411.
  18. Madigan, D.J.; Kim, L.E. Does teacher burnout affect students? A systematic review of its association with academic achievement and student-reported outcomes. Int. J. Educ. Res. 2021, 105, 101714.
  19. Riva, E. From Playground to Lecture Hall—Working with Schools to Support Wellbeing Throughout Education. Wonkhe. 2025. Available online: https://wonkhe.com/blogs/from-playground-to-lecture-hall-working-with-schools-to-support-wellbeing-throughout-education/ (accessed on 18 August 2025).
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