An Investigation of the Relationship between Married Teachers’ Perception of Sacrificing Behavior, Alexithymia, and Marital Burnout

The present research was undertaken to investigate the relationship between spouses’ perception of sacrificing behavior, alexithymia, and marital burnout among primary school teachers. The statistical population of the study was comprised of all primary school teachers in Amol from among whom 200 teachers were selected through random multi-stage cluster sampling method. The instruments included Perception of Sacrifice Scale (Harper & Figuerres, 2008), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (1994), and Couple Burnout Measure (Pines, 1996). The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis. The findings indicated that spouses’ perception of sacrificing behavior was negatively associated with marital burnout, whereas alexithymia was positively correlated with marital burnout (P<0.001). Regression analysis also showed that spouses’ perception of sacrificing behavior could negatively predict marital burnout, while alexithymia positively predicted this variable. Among predictor variables, alexithymia was the most important predictor of marital burnout. Based on the findings, school psychologists and counselors can use life skills training programs to enhance sacrificing behavior and reduce problems caused by alexithymia among teachers and as a result decrease teachers’ marital burnout.