ORIGINAL PAPER
Teacher stress among public primary and secondary schoolteachers in Datong, a city of Shanxi Province, China: association between teacher stress and standardized workload
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1
Datong Beiguan Community Healthcare Center, Datong, China
(Department of Pharmacy)
2
Datong Beiguan Community Healthcare Center, Datong, China
(Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine)
3
Datong Beiguan Community Healthcare Center, Datong, China
(Department of Gynecology)
4
Datong Beiguan Community Healthcare Center, Datong, China
(Department of General Medicine)
5
The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
(Neuro-Psychiatric Institute)
Online publication date: 2023-04-24
Corresponding author
Hong Shen
ong Shen, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Neuro-Psychiatric Institute, Guangzhou Road 264, 210029, Nanjing,
China
Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(2):161-76
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ABSTRACT
Objectives: The policy of the standardized workload has been implemented among primary and secondary schoolteachers in Shanxi Province.
The aim of this cross-sectional cohort study is to assess teacher stress among primary and secondary schoolteachers in Datong, a city of Shanxi
Province and the association between teacher stress and the quantified workload. Material and Methods: Three hundred and fifty schoolteachers in
10 public primary schools, 187 schoolteachers in 6 secondary schools and 268 non-teachers in 21 education institutes were recruited. A single-item rating assessment of work-related stress was completed by using the Exposure to Job Stress measure with modification. The quantified workload included class size, teaching hours, and subjects. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were carried out. Results: In 805 participants, the pro-
portion of primary and secondary schoolteachers with moderate stress was significantly greater. The results of Spearman’s correlation and logistic
regression analyses showed that the occupations of the primary and secondary schoolteachers had higher stress risk. Further, the stratified results
showed that among the primary schoolteachers, the independent stress risk factor was larger class size; while among the secondary schoolteachers, the stress associated factor was more weekly teaching hours. Conclusions: After standardization of the workload, there remain higher levels of
work stress among primary and secondary schoolteachers. Notwithstanding, the stress state in teachers is manageable and they may be faced with controllable stressors. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(2):161–76