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Abstract
Occupational stress for teachers has created an environment where the prevalence and intensity of teacher stress sources and manifestations of depression, anxiety, and burnout have become a focus in research. While researchers have oftentimes identified specific areas of concern, a gap exists in research where similar geographical regions and district groups are studied and analyzed together. Researchers from peer-reviewed journal articles have presented various sources of stress that exhibit themselves in internal or external forms. These stressors can cause physical, behavioral, and mental symptoms in educators. This research study used the Teacher Stress Inventory (TSI) and demographic survey to collect data from 183 teachers in Southwestern Indiana. This data was collected and analyzed to identify the total stress score, prevalent sources, manifestations, and correlations between demographics and the TSI results. The data revealed that only gender was a predictor of TSI total stress scores, prevalent stress sources, and manifestations. The data also identified higher than average prevalent stress sources from work-related stressors and time management, as well as higher than average manifestations in emotional and fatigue manifestations. The impact of this research should be used to help districts identify areas of stress to support teacher retention, reduce stress, and promote a healthy work environment in Southwestern Indiana educational leaders.