Burnout, Drinking Motives, and Alcohol Consumption among University Faculty and Staff

Authors

• Charlie Chen, Miami UniversityFollow
• Jordin Nowak, Miami UniversityFollow
• Rose Marie Ward, University of CincinnatiFollow

Abstract

The health of faculty and staff is often overlooked despite their critical roles in teaching and supporting students. This study examined the relationship between burnout, drinking motives, and alcohol behaviors among 300 participants (112 faculty, 188 staff) through an online survey. Notably, staff reported higher personal burnout while faculty reported drinking more frequently. A structural equation model revealed that personal burnout indirectly influenced alcohol consumption and problems through coping motives. Drinking to cope was bivariately positively linked to all three types of burnout. As mental health concerns rise on college campuses, further research is needed to understand faculty and staff contexts, ensuring they are effectively supported in their roles impacting students’ lives.

Author ORCID Identifier

Rose Marie Ward

ORCID: 0000-0001-8154-8163

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

Recommended Citation

Chen, Charlie; Nowak, Jordin; and Ward, Rose Marie (2026) "Burnout, Drinking Motives, and Alcohol Consumption among University Faculty and Staff," Health Behavior Research: Vol. 9: No. 1.