Jerusalem, 12 February, 2026 (TPS-IL) — A simple psychological technique that teaches teachers to mentally reframe stressful events may significantly reduce burnout during wartime, according to new research from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem conducted during the Israel-Hamas war.
“Teachers are more vulnerable because they have their own stress as well as what they experience through their students,” Professor Dana Lassri from the Hebrew University’s School of Social Work told The Press Service of Israel. “We showed that it affects their burnout levels at work.”
The study found that “cognitive reappraisal,” a strategy in which individuals reinterpret difficult experiences to change their emotional impact, acted as a powerful buffer against professional exhaustion. Teachers who regularly used this approach reported significantly lower levels of burnout, even when exposed to the same levels of conflict-related stress as their peers.
The research, carried out eight months into the war, surveyed 329 Jewish and Arab high school teachers across Israel. At the time, many were coping with rocket fire, evacuations, and personal losses while continuing to teach students living through the same crisis.
A key finding of the study was that the number of war-related events teachers experienced was not — on its own — the strongest predictor of burnout. Rather, professional exhaustion was driven by the intensity of their subjective emotional distress and sense of helplessness.
Teachers who reported higher levels of internal stress were significantly more likely to experience emotional fatigue and a diminished sense of effectiveness in the classroom. By contrast, those who were able to reframe negative events showed greater resilience.
As part of the research process, participants were asked to recall and describe a negative event. They were then given structured guidance on how to reinterpret the experience in a way that reduced its emotional weight. According to Lassri, the shift in perspective led to an immediate improvement in mood.
“We found a way to activate it,” she said. “We asked them to describe a negative event, gave them guidance to reframe it, and saw that it improved their mood right away. And then their performance improved.”
The findings suggest that resilience is not simply a personality trait but a skill that can be taught and strengthened. Lassri said structured workshops and professional training programs could help teachers develop these emotional regulation strategies more systematically.
The implications extend beyond teacher wellbeing. Burnout among educators can ripple through classrooms, affecting students who are themselves coping with prolonged stress and uncertainty. Strengthening teachers’ emotional resilience, the study suggests, may be essential to maintaining stability in schools during extended national crises.
Nadav Har-Zion, a 33-year-old middle school teacher from Jerusalem, told TPS-IL such a tool could be very helpful.
“I experienced exactly this double stress during the war—the personal stress and my students’ stress. I had to take care of my own worries while showing up for them, and it took a toll. So I think the tool they offer could really help, both the teachers and the kids,” he said.
The study was published in the peer-reviewed Psychiatry Research journal.
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