Dual Stressors and Female Pre-school Teachers' Job Satisfaction During the COVID-19: The Mediation of Work-Family Conflict

Abstract

Online education has become a vital weapon to fight against the COVID-19 epidemic in the world. In the home-based online education environment, female pre-school teachers are expected to balance the dual roles of teacher and mother at the same time, which may trigger the work-family conflict. Although previous studies analyzed individual stressors, work-family conflict and its outcomes, there is little research on pre-school teachers' work and parenting experience during major public health emergencies. The current study examined the associations among work overload, parenting stress, work-family conflict, and job satisfaction during the COVID-19. Seven hundred eighteen female pre-school teachers with children who worked online at home participated in the study. Female pre-school teachers reported that the COVID-19 has increased work overload and parenting stress. Moreover, work overload was negatively associated with job satisfaction via its positive association with work-to-family conflict. Parenting stress was negatively associated with job satisfaction via both family-to-work conflict and work-to-family conflict. The study contributes to a better understanding of the association among female pre-school teachers' work overload, parenting stress, work-family conflict, and job satisfaction. Our findings highlighted potential avenues for interventions aimed at balancing female pre-school teachers' work and family and improving their job satisfaction during the COVID-19.

Prevalence of Anxiety, Depression, and Stress among Teachers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Rapid Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

“…In regard to the teaching professional sector, in the current pandemic, teachers feel a greater responsibility for younger children, as they need more care and protection. This may lead teachers to feel under pressure to provide adequate care for children, in addition to addressing the concerns of their families [ 39 ]. Secondary-school and university teachers, however, may have felt less pressure in this respect, as their students are more autonomous and do not require such care from teachers [ 40 ].…”

The Association of Job and Family Resources and Demands with Life Satisfaction through Work–Family Balance: A Longitudinal Study among Italian Schoolteachers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Moreover, results highlighted the key importance of both the work domain and the family domain in determining high levels of life satisfaction among schoolteachers. Beyond that, it should be added that the COVID-19 emergency has significantly transformed the work environment, especially for teachers, mostly women, often with a high family burden, which severely threatened their job satisfaction and quality of life [28,29].…”

“…Furthermore, another fundamental aspect that we aim to highlight in this study concerns the effects of the COVID-19 emergency. The consequences of the recent pandemic have significantly transformed the work environment and job demands, especially for teachers, mostly women, often with high family burdens, which has seriously threatened professional satisfaction and job quality [28,29].…”

Work Stress, Mental Health and Validation of Professional Stress Scale (PSS) in an Italian-Speaking Teachers Sample

“…The results indicate a disparity in the resilience of workers during remote work and highlight the need for organisational support [23]. The study by Hong et al [24], on the other hand, examined the associations between work overload, parental stress, work-family conflict, and job satisfaction during COVID-19. Seven hundred and eighteen kindergarten teachers participated in the study.…”