The Causes and Implications of Burnout Among Graduate Assistants

Introduction & Background

Acting as both a student and staff member of a university, the unique role of graduate assistants can often become a catalyst of burnout and stress. Recent studies found 60% of graduate assistants met the criteria for burnout (Park et al., 2021) and 43% of graduate students claim to be experiencing more stress than they can handle (Allen et al., 2021). In this case, burnout is defined as, “A state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress” (Parker & Tavella, 2022). Graduate assistants are a subpopulation of graduate students that is growing yet understudied. The goal of this research is to further examine prevalence of burnout and stress among the graduate assistant population.

Methods

This in-progress study focuses on master’s and doctorate students who are currently contracted by a university as a graduate teaching assistant or graduate research assistant. Using an online survey method will allow for participation across multiple universities and locations. The 60 question survey includes the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Financial Stress Scale (FSS) to measure burnout and stress. The survey also includes three open ended questions to help determine potential strategies to prevent burnout and stress along with suggested coping mechanisms.

Findings

It is important that researchers continue to learn about the role of graduate assistants and how universities can best foster a balanced and healthy experience for this special population. These findings will be important as they will provide more insight into the life of a graduate assistant and how factors such as work-life balance, work-life conflict, and financial barriers might contribute to levels of stress and burnout rates. This study will also provide potential strategies for future graduate assistants to prevent and cope with burnout and stress. Recommendations on how to reduce stress and foster a healthy lifestyle will also be included.