Burning at Both Ends: Self-Efficacy, Compassion Fatigue, and the Dual Emotional Burden of Teacher-Mothers

Teaching and parenting are both emotionally demanding roles that require high levels of care, regulation, and resilience. When combined in teacher-mothers, these dual roles may produce either emotional depletion or mutual reinforcement. This study examined the relationships between compassion fatigue, teaching efficacy, and parenting self-efficacy among 316 teacher-mothers in Israel. Participants completed validated measures of the three constructs. Results revealed a moderate positive correlation between parenting self-efficacy and teaching efficacy (r = .46, p < .001), and a weak negative correlation between compassion fatigue and parenting self-efficacy (r = –.161, p < .01). Burnout and secondary trauma correlated negatively with most efficacy subscales, while compassion-satisfaction showed positive associations. Significant differences were found by education level, teaching experience, work hours, school level, and ethnicity. Mothers with advanced degrees, more experience, or full-time jobs reported higher teaching efficacy; Jewish teachers reported higher burnout and lower efficacy than their Arab and Druze peers. Findings highlight the emotional complexity of teacher-mothers’ lived experience and underscore the need for holistic support that addresses both their professional and parental roles. Early-career teacher-mothers may face compounded challenges from the steep teaching curve and parental responsibilities; educational counselors should consider dual-role efficacy as a buffer against compassion fatigue.