From stress to exhaustion: the mediating role of meaning of work in the relationship between role conflict and emotional exhaustion among preschool teachers

Background Emotional exhaustion is common among preschool teachers and is associated with poorer well-being and teaching quality. Previous studies have mainly focused on individual stressors such as workload, while paying less attention to role conflict and work-related resources such as meaning of work. Using the Job Demands-Resources model as a framework, this research looked into how work meaning connects with role conflict and emotional exhaustion. Methods This study collected data from 486 preschool teachers from three Chinese provinces through a questionnaire survey. The measures included role conflict, meaning of work, and emotional exhaustion, and the proposed mediation model was tested. Results Role conflict is positively correlated with emotional exhaustion ( β = 0.594, p < 0.001). Meaning of work partially mediates this relationship, explaining 35.19% of the total effect ( β = 0.208, 95% CI [0.142, 0.274]). Meaning of work varies according to age ( p = 0.005) and teaching experience ( p = 0.003). Teachers aged 20–30 and those with 4–10 years of experience reported higher levels of meaning of work. No significant group differences in emotional exhaustion were found across the examined demographic variables. Conclusion In the results, for preschool teachers, meaning of work plays a partial mediating role between role conflict and emotional exhaustion. These results emphasize how crucial it is to create a meaningful workplace in order to promote teachers’ wellbeing.