Revisiting the Healthy Context Paradox: Teacher Victimization, Burnout, and School Climate in the U.S.

• In Event: Roles of School Climate, Identity, and Support in Response to Teacher-Targeted Violence: A Global Perspective

Abstract

Background: Teacher victimization (TV), aggressive behavior from students toward teachers, is widespread in the U.S., with significant prevalence (McMahon et al., 2024b). Such victimization significantly undermines teachers’ well-being, exacerbating stress, burnout, and turnover (McMahon et al., 2024a; Moon et al., 2019; Rho & Yang, 2025). Research highlights school-level strategies as resilience factors (Curran et al., 2017; Moon & McCluskey, 2022). Amid the replication crisis in psychological science (Wiggins & Christopherson, 2019), testing findings across cultural contexts is essential for reliability and generalizability. Yang et al. (2022) studied these dynamics in China, yet U.S.-specific research remains limited despite unique systemic and cultural contexts. Addressing this gap, the current pre-registered study replicates and extends Yang et al. (2022)’s work in the U.S., examining how school climate interacts with TV and burnout.
Purpose: This conceptual replication study investigates how TV, school climate, and burnout interact among U.S. K-12 teachers. Specifically, it aims to test two contrasting theoretical frameworks–the healthy context paradox, proposing intensified distress in supportive climates, and emotional contagion theory, suggesting supportive climates buffer victimization effects (Yang et al., 2022).
Theoretical Background: The healthy paradox argues that victimization can cause greater distress within positive environments due to increased feelings of isolation and unmet expectations (Yun & Juvonen, 2020). In contrast, emotional contagion theory posits that positive emotions fostered by supportive climates can mitigate negative impacts of victimization through emotional regulation and collective resilience (Hatfield et al., 1993).
Method: This pre-registered study surveyed 504 K–12 U.S. teachers using validated measures assessing five types of victimization (social/relational, cyber, physical, verbal, property offenses; Yang et al., 2019), school climate (Bear et al., 2014), and three burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, reduced personal accomplishment; Maslach et al., 1996). Data analysis involved three sequential linear regression models, examining direct effects and moderation interactions.
Results: Different types of victimization uniquely influenced burnout dimensions: social/relational victimization significantly predicted depersonalization, cyber victimization significantly related to reduced personal accomplishment, and personal property offenses were significantly associated with emotional exhaustion. Interestingly, physical victimization was not significantly related to any burnout dimension. Positive school climate negatively predicted all burnout dimensions overall; however, it unexpectedly intensified burnout linked specifically to social/relational victimization (depersonalization) and cyber victimization (reduced personal accomplishment). These moderation effects supported the healthy context paradox rather than the emotional contagion theory.
Significance: This replication study provides empirical support for the healthy context paradox in a U.S. context, illustrating the nuanced role of supportive school climates. Although generally protective, positive climates can paradoxically worsen burnout under specific victimization conditions. These findings emphasize the necessity of cross-cultural replication to validate psychological theories and highlight the need for targeted school-level interventions and informed policy decisions to effectively support teacher well-being and retention.

Authors

• Ella Rho, University of Maryland

• Chunyan Yang, University of Maryland

• Quennie Dong, University of California - Berkeley

• Jin Hyung Lim, University of California - Berkeley

• Krandhasi Kodaiarasu, University of Maryland