Teachers' occupational health: A structural model of work‐related stress, depressed mood at work, and organizational commitment

Abstract

Organizations, employees, and individuals suffer from adverse outcomes due to a lack of occupational health, impacting everything from organizational performance to psychological and physical health, and they are a prevalent phenomenon for various jobs, including teaching. The aims of the current study are two‐fold: to determine the state of occupational health (i) and its structure among 470 Turkish teachers at all school levels, including 338 female teachers (71.9%) and 132 male teachers (28.1%), specifically in terms of stress, the depressed mood at work, and organizational commitment variables (ii). A structural model for occupational health is developed and examined through the AMOS 22 program. The findings of this study indicate that stress predicts a negative impact on organizational commitment (−0.42), whereas it has a positive effect on depressed mood at work (0.74). Additionally, organizational commitment is shown to have a negative impact on depressed mood at work (−0.15). Overall, policymakers, school administrators, and leaders should prioritize strategies to reduce stress, create a healthier work environment, and address the need for proactive efforts to promote a positive emotional climate that improves teacher occupational health. Additionally, further research should explore the other factors that enable to prevent and reduce depression mood at work.