Prevalence and Risk Factors of Occupational Burnout Among Secondary School Teachers in Zamfara State

Teacher burnout is an emerging occupational health challenge in Nigeria's education system, linked to increasing workloads, poor remuneration, and inadequate classroom resources. This study assessed the prevalence and risk factors of occupational burnout among secondary school teachers in Zamfara State, North West Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed, with 200 teachers sampled from 20 public secondary schools across three local government areas. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (Educators Survey version) was the primary measurement tool, supplemented by a structured sociodemographic and occupational questionnaire. Results revealed that 61 percent of respondents experienced high emotional exhaustion, 48 percent showed depersonalization, and 55 percent reported low personal accomplishment. Teachers in urban schools and those with larger class sizes demonstrated significantly higher burnout scores. Security concerns within school environments were cited as an additional contextual stressor unique to Zamfara's socio-political climate. Gender analysis showed that female teachers reported higher emotional exhaustion scores than males. Less than 5 percent of respondents had access to any form of occupational mental health support. The study recommends urgent investment in teacher welfare programs, class size reduction, provision of psychosocial support services in schools, and the integration of burnout screening into routine teacher health assessments by the Zamfara State Ministry of Education. Keywords: teacher burnout, Maslach Burnout Inventory, emotional exhaustion, occupational stress, Zamfara State.