The impact of job-related stress on township teachers’ professional well-being: A moderated mediation analysis

• Published in: Frontiers in psychology Vol. 13; p. 1000441
• Main Authors: Liang, Hongmei, Wang, Weichen, Sun, Yueyang, Wang, Haiying
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A 19.10.2022
• Subjects: job-related stress; perceived organizational support; Psychology; teachers’ professional identity; teachers’ professional well-being; township teachers
• ISSN: 1664-1078; 1664-1078
• DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1000441

This study aimed to explore the relationship between job-related stress and township teachers’ professional well-being. Based on Job Demand-Resource Model, this study examined the mediating role of teachers’ professional identity and the moderating role of perceived organizational support in this relationship. A total of 24,276 township teachers in China responded to the Teacher Stress Scale, the Teachers’ Professional Identity Scale, the Teachers’ Professional Well-Being Structure Questionnaire, and the Perceived Organizational Support Scale. Results showed that: (1) the professional well-being of township teachers differed significantly in terms of school type and demographic characteristics like age and gender; (2) job-related stress negatively predicted township teachers’ professional well-being, with teachers’ professional identity playing a mediating role; (3) the relation between job-related stress and teachers’ professional identity was moderated by perceived organizational support; and (4) in the moderated mediation analysis, job-related stress positively predicted township teachers’ professional well-being. These findings indicated that township teachers’ professional well-being was influenced by both organizational and individual factors, which provided a theoretical basis and intervention pathways for improving township teachers’ professional well-being.