# The impact of surface acting and mindfulness on preschool teachers' burnout: the roles of emotional empathy and perceived organizational support

## TL;DR

This study explores how surface acting and mindfulness affect burnout in preschool teachers, with emotional empathy and organizational support playing key roles.

## Contribution

The study reveals a nonlinear interaction between surface acting and mindfulness in predicting burnout, mediated by emotional empathy and moderated by perceived organizational support.

## Key findings

- Surface acting and mindfulness interact nonlinearly to predict burnout in preschool teachers.
- Emotional empathy partially mediates the relationship between surface acting/mindfulness and burnout.
- Perceived organizational support moderates both direct and indirect effects of these variables on burnout.

## Abstract

Preschool teachers face significant occupational stress and emotional burdens, with burnout rates as high as 53.2% in China. Grounded in the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model and emotional labor theory, this study examines the interplay between surface acting (an emotion regulation strategy) and mindfulness (a psychological resource) in predicting burnout, while exploring emotional empathy as a mediator and perceived organizational support (POS) as a moderator.

A three-wave longitudinal survey was conducted among 3,283 Chinese preschool teachers. Validated questionnaires measured surface acting, mindfulness, emotional empathy, POS, and burnout. Polynomial regression and response surface analysis were employed to analyze nonlinear interactions and mediation/moderation effects.

The interaction between surface acting and mindfulness significantly predicted burnout in a nonlinear pattern. Emotional empathy partially mediated this relationship, whereas POS moderated both direct and indirect effects. High POS buffered the negative impact of surface acting, particularly when mindfulness levels were low.

The findings underscore the complex dynamics between emotion regulation strategies, personal resources, and organizational context in teacher wellbeing. Interventions such as mindfulness training and fostering supportive school environments may mitigate burnout among early childhood educators.