Stress and Burnout in Teachers During Times of Pandemic

VARGAS RUBILAR, NATALIA; OROS, LAURA BEATRIZ

Frontiers in Psychology

Frontiers Media

Año: 2021 vol. 12

In Argentina, once mandatory isolation was declared due to the COVID-19 pandemic,teachers of all educational levels and modalities had to substantially modify their wayof working. The aim of this study was to identify the work situations that educationprofessionals perceived as threats under the modality of non-face-to-face teaching,and to describe the level of perceived stress and its possible effect on psychophysicalsymptoms. Likewise, it sought to examine possible differences in the manifestationsof burnout depending on the level of perceived stress and associated symptoms.An empirical study with a cross-sectional design was developed, in which 9,058Argentine teachers, who had to complete self-report measures, participated. Thesampling method was non-random, using an online procedure of reclusion of volunteers.Descriptive techniques and non-parametric tests were used for data analysis. Morethan 60% of the educators reported high and moderately high levels of stress. Thepredominant stressors were uncertainty about the consequences of the pandemic, workoverload and inadequate working environment. The more stress they perceived, thehigher the manifestation of unwanted psychophysical symptoms. Professional burnoutwas higher for teachers with a higher load of stress and with more psychophysicalindicators of discomfort. These results reveal the psychological impact of the COVID19 pandemic on the education staff, and encourage the development of interventionmeasures to preserve the health of professionals.