Occupational balance during Covid-19 lockdown among occupational therapy academics

Abstract

Introduction The mandatory confinement in response to Covid-19 forced the closure of colleges and universities, leading professors to adapt their teaching strategies to digital media, These changes in teaching processes showed an increase in the workday, greater stress, fatigue, and difficulties in separating work from other occupations, which may compromise the physical and mental health of teachers. Objective To describe the occupational balance of occupational therapy teachers at a university in Cali-Colombia, during lockdown due to Covid-19, and to establish the relationship between sociodemographic variables and the presence of symptoms of anxiety and depression. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted with 32 occupational therapy professors. The information was collected using Google forms containing a sociodemographic questionnaire, the OBQ-E, PHQ-9 questionnaires, and the GAD-7 scale. Absolute frequency tables and percentages were made for qualitative variables, and quantitative variables were presented as mean and standard deviation. Bivariate analysis was performed using t-student tests, ANOVA, and Pearson's correlations. Results 75.0% of participants were women. In occupational balance the average was 36.5; meanwhile, 31.3% manifested symptoms of anxiety and 43.8% of depression. Conclusions Most of the professors were women, gender that was related to the care of older adults. The scores in occupational balance and the presence of anxiety and depression symptoms reflect the adjustments that the professors assumed during the confinement, in response to the increase in daily activities, the little variety between occupations that they wanted and had to do, and satisfaction with the job, rest and sleep time.