How empathy affects preschool teachers’ burnout

To explore the relationship and internal mechanisms between empathy and burnout among preschool teachers, Study 1 employed a multiverse-style analysis based on cross-sectional survey data from 2,651 preschool teachers to test the robustness of the relationship between preschool teacher empathy and burnout. Study 2, grounded in the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory, conducted a three-wave survey with 324 preschool teachers and used Polynomial Regression and Response Surface Analysis to investigate the relationship between preschool teacher empathy and burnout, as well as the mediating role of psychological safety (PS) and the moderating role of Perceived Organizational Support (POS). The results of the multiverse-style analysis indicated that the relationship between empathy and burnout among preschool teachers is robust and has a substantial effect size. The Polynomial Regression and Response Surface Analysis revealed that this relationship is curvilinear; empathy positively affects burnout in the first half of the curve and negatively affects it in the second half. The linear term of PS has a mediating effect, while the squared term does not. POS moderates the relationship between empathy and PS. This research extends the breadth and depth of JD-R theory, providing new perspectives and evidence for promoting the psychological health development of preschool teachers.