The determinants of teachers' well-being: The mediating role of mental fatigue

Abstract

In recent years, many studies have focused on the determinants and consequences of teacher stress. One of the most recent theoretical models concerning stress is the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model. This study examines one process - namely the energetic process - which supposes that high job demands exhaust employees' mental and physical resources and therefore cause ill health. Particularly, this study examines the mediating role of mental fatigue between three job demands of teachers (workload, inequity and work/family confl ict) and three consequences of stress: psychological and physical symptoms and work satisfaction. An Italian version of the selfreport Questionnaire for Psychosocial Work Environment and Stress (PWSQ) was administered to 697 teachers belonging to a random sample of 17 school organizations. The results showed that mental fatigue has a mediating role in the relationship between work/family confl ict and the three outcomes considered, namely psychological and physical symptoms, and work satisfaction. This study has an important implication for intervention strategy because mental fatigue is a pre-strain condition which arises before more intense outcomes, such as stress-related diseases occur. Identifi cation of this condition allows prevention of the consequences of stress. © 2012 Semmelweis University Institute of Mental Health, Budapest.