Burnout Among Secondary School Teachers and Its Management Through Psychological Support Programmes in Rivers State

This study investigates teacher burnout and the effectiveness of psychological support programmes in its management among secondary school teachers in Rivers State, South South Nigeria. Teacher burnout, characterised by emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and reduced professional accomplishment, undermines instructional quality and contributes to high teacher attrition in Nigerian secondary schools. The study employs a mixed-methods design, involving 180 secondary school teachers from eight schools in Port Harcourt and Obio-Akpor Local Government Areas. The Maslach Burnout Inventory and a psychological support programme utilisation questionnaire were used alongside semi-structured interviews with 20 purposively selected teachers. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance, while interviews were subjected to thematic analysis. Findings indicate that a significant proportion of teachers demonstrate high emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation scores, particularly in urban public schools with high workloads and inadequate administrative support. Teachers who participated in peer support groups and counsellor-facilitated resilience workshops reported significant reductions in emotional exhaustion over a six-month period. Institutional culture, specifically whether school management actively encouraged help-seeking, moderated burnout levels. These results highlight the interplay between individual psychological support and systemic workplace conditions. The Rivers State Teaching Service Commission is urged to formalise teacher wellness programmes, including peer support networks and access to employee assistance counselling, and to review teacher workload allocation policies. Keywords: teacher burnout, psychological support, secondary school, Rivers State, occupational well-being.