The relationship between automatic thoughts of special education working teachers to burnout and work satisfaction

In Cognitive Behavioral Therapies it is known that negative automatic thoughts reduce the quality of life of people and even cause mental disorders. This study, which examined the relationship between job satisfaction, burnout level and negative self-esteem, was conducted on special education teachers. The study was carried out with a total of 287 teachers, 164 of whom were women and 123 were men, who took part in special education schools within the borders of Istanbul. The sample was selected by random sampling method. The study is descriptive and quantitative research. Maslach Burnout Scale for burnout level of participants, Minnesota Job Satisfaction Scale for job satisfaction and Automatic Thought Scale for automatic thinking were used in the study. The obtained data were analyzed using the SPSS program. Descriptive statistical methods (number, percentage, mean, standard deviation) and parametric tests were used for T-test, ANOVA and correlation. According to the results of the research, burnout level and gender, marital status, graduation status and economic level variables; job satisfaction level and gender, age, graduation status and economic level variables; there was a meaningful difference between automatic thinking and gender, age, duration of service, graduation status and economic level variables. At the same time, there was a significant relationship between automatic thinking and burnout level and job satisfaction level, and it was found that automatic thinking was affecting burnout levels and job satisfaction levels in teachers. Testing of these variables in other occupational groups in future research can be considered to be able to repeat the results.