Bienestar laboral y condiciones ocupacionales en docentes de carreras de Ciencias de la Salud durante la crisis sanitaria por COVID-19

Background

Student well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its relationship to personal and academic factors, has been extensively studied. However, there are few studies regarding this phenomenon in teachers.

Objective

To evaluate the relationship between occupational conditions and teachers’ wellbeing at work, in terms of their engagement and burnout, in health career teachers during the COVID-19 health crisis in Chile.

Methods

Quantitative study, with an observational and cross-sectional design and relational scope, with a non-probabilistic sampling strategy and by convenience, a sample of 234 health science teachers was obtained, who answered the UWES-17 Work Engagement Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory HSS version, a Scale of resources available for teaching and a sociodemographic questionnaire and working conditions, after reading and accepting an informed consent.

Results

Teachers reported high work engagement in its dimensions of vigor, absorption and dedication, moderate emotional exhaustion and less depersonalization and lack of personal fulfillment. Burnout and engagement showed inverse correlations with each other in almost all their factors (p < 0.05), except in the case of absorption. In addition, both variables showed a relationship with gender, age of the teachers and access to quiet places to work (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

The sociodemographic characteristics of teachers showed to be more associated with their reported well-being than their academic conditions. In terms of available resources, quiet spaces for work were more important than access to technology.