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Begum V, Anwer Arshi T, Said Arman A, Saleem Butt A, Latheef S. A study on work-family life imbalance among women administrators in UAE higher education institutions. Heliyon 2024; 10:e28286. [PMID: 38533041 PMCID: PMC10963610 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The study explored the factors causing work-family imbalance among women administrators in higher education institutions in the UAE and how it affects their personal and organizational well-being. The research found that the existing literature doesn't give enough attention to the mismatch between women administrators' work and family goals. Furthermore, it provides little insight into the integration of work-family support systems. The study applied the Spillover theory to explain that women administrators face significant work-family imbalances that adversely impact their personal well-being and organizational effectiveness. The research also used Facilitation theory to examine how work-family support systems could reduce the adverse effects of work-family imbalances. The study surveyed 271 female administrators working in higher education institutions in the UAE. The findings, presented through structural equation modeling, showed that the demanding nature of research, teaching, and administrative work in higher education and women administrators' professional aspirations in socially demanding societies create work-life imbalance and work stress. The study proposed work-family support systems that could moderate the effect of work-family imbalances on work stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vazeerjan Begum
- School of Business, American University of Ras Al Khaimah, Building 75, Sheikh Humaid Bin Mohammed Area, Seih Al Araibi, Ras Al Khaimah, 72603, United Arab Emirates
| | - Tahseen Anwer Arshi
- Research and Community Service, Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, American University of Ras Al Khaimah, Building 75, Sheikh Humaid Bin Mohammed Area, Seih Al Araibi, Ras Al Khaimah, 72603, United Arab Emirates
| | - Abdelfatah Said Arman
- School of Business, American University of Ras Al Khaimah, Building 75, Sheikh Humaid Bin Mohammed Area, Seih Al Araibi, Ras Al Khaimah, 72603, United Arab Emirates
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Castro L, Serrão C, Rodrigues AR, Marina S, dos Santos JPM, Amorim-Lopes TS, Miguel C, Teixeira A, Duarte I. Burnout, resilience, and subjective well-being among Portuguese lecturers' during the COVID-19 pandemic. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1271004. [PMID: 38146397 PMCID: PMC10749532 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1271004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Lecturers face a large wide of occupational stressors. If the prolonged stress and the symptomatology associated with the working conditions to which lecturers were exposed were already a concern before the pandemic, the pandemic may have exacerbated this psychosocial vulnerability. Burnout is a psychological syndrome that develops in response to chronic work stress. This study aims to describe burnout amongst lecturers working in Portugal and to analyse potential determinants of burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed using an online questionnaire distributed via social networks. The survey collected sociodemographic and sleep patterns data in addition to applying the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (personal, work- and student-related burnout), the Resilience Scale, the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Results The sample included 331 lecturers from 35 different colleges and faculties. Three significant models explained personal (R2 = 54%), work- (R2 = 47%) and student- (R2 = 19%) related burnout. Lower levels of resilience and higher levels of depression and stress were significantly associated with personal and work-related burnout. Changes in sleep patterns were additionally associated with both personal and work-related burnout. Conclusion Higher education institutions must recognize the impact of the work environment and organizational culture on faculty mental health and take proactive measures to improve this environment. These institutions can implement support strategies such as educational technology training, professional development programmes, emotional support resources, and workload flexibility. Implementing measures to enhance lecturers' resilience and overall life satisfaction could potentially help mitigate burnout and improve the well-being of educators, ultimately contributing to the overall quality of education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luísa Castro
- Department of Community Medicine, Information and Decision in Health; Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- CINTESIS@RISE, MEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Carla Serrão
- Escola Superior de Educação do Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Centre for Research and Innovation in Education (inED), Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Rita Rodrigues
- University of Maia, Maia, Portugal
- Center for Psychology, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sílvia Marina
- Department of Community Medicine, Information and Decision in Health; Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- CINTESIS@RISE, MEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - José Paulo Marques dos Santos
- University of Maia, Maia, Portugal
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | | | - Carla Miguel
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Andreia Teixeira
- Department of Community Medicine, Information and Decision in Health; Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- CINTESIS@RISE, MEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- ADiT-LAB, InstitutoPolitécnico de Viana do Castelo, Rua Escola Industrial e Comercial Nun’Álvares, Viana do Castelo, Portugal
| | - Ivone Duarte
- Department of Community Medicine, Information and Decision in Health; Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- CINTESIS@RISE, MEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
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Tsybuliak N, Suchikova Y, Shevchenko L, Popova A, Kovachev S, Hurenko O. Burnout dynamic among Ukrainian academic staff during the war. Sci Rep 2023; 13:17975. [PMID: 37864023 PMCID: PMC10589323 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-45229-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023] Open
Abstract
This study examined burnout dynamics among Ukrainian academic staff during the full-scale war. A cross-sectional study was conducted twice: the first wave in July 2022 and the second in January 2023. To assess the burnout syndrome as the final outcome, the self-reported Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services adapted for socioeconomic professions by Vodopyanova was used and correlated with different characteristics. The results showed a significant positive trend in emotional exhaustion among Ukrainian academic staff, with females being more sensitive to war-related factors. The results demonstrate that prolonged stressful situations associated with the ongoing war and constant changes in professional conditions lead to significant depersonalization dynamics among academic staff of both sexes. For male academic staff, factors such as age and academic position become less significant for depersonalization. However, university relocation and migration processes were significant factors affecting female academic staff's' perception of effectiveness and accomplishment in their professional activities. The alarming dynamic of burnout levels detected among Ukrainian academic staff urges the national and institutional levels to take prompt actions to enhance the academic staff's mental health in the workplace for preserving not only the quality of higher education, but also human capital in war times for postwar recovery in Ukraine.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yana Suchikova
- Berdyansk State Pedagogical University, Berdiansk, Ukraine
| | - Liudmyla Shevchenko
- Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University, Vinnytsia, Ukraine
| | | | | | - Olha Hurenko
- Berdyansk State Pedagogical University, Berdiansk, Ukraine
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Zhang X, Li S, Wang S, Xu J. Influence of job environment on the online teaching anxiety of college teachers in the online teaching context: The mediating role of subjective well-being. Front Public Health 2022; 10:978094. [PMID: 36311626 PMCID: PMC9614316 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.978094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Online education has been conducted widely in higher education in recent years. While online teaching brings many opportunities, it also poses numerous challenges and issues. This is especially true for college teachers, for whom teaching is considered to be a profession with a high level of burnout and anxiety. The large-scale application of online teaching methods has put teachers in an even more challenging context, which may lead to teaching anxiety affecting their mental health. In online teaching contexts, the question of what factors affect college teachers' online teaching anxiety is worth exploring to help reduce their online teaching anxiety so as to promote their work performance. In this study, therefore, we conducted a survey of college teachers to develop a model of job environment (job demands and job resources), subjective well-being, and online teaching anxiety, and to explore the influences of job environment and subjective well-being on their online teaching anxiety, as well as the mediating effects of subjective well-being between job environments and online teaching anxiety. Method Of the 1,060 college teachers who participated, 524 were male (49.4%) and 536 were female (50.6%). An online questionnaire was sent to the teachers in January, 2022. Online teaching anxiety, subjective well-being, and job environment scales were adapted and developed. Descriptive analysis, reliability and validity analysis, and structural equation modelling were used to analyse the collected data. Results The study model showed an adequate fit (χ2 = 440.983, RMSEA = 0.070, GFI = 0.942, AGFI = 0.914, NFI = 0.949, and CFI = 0.956), confirming the relationships of job demands and online teaching anxiety (β = 0.310, p < 0.001), job resources and online teaching anxiety (β = - 0.086, p < 0.01), job demands and subjective well-being (β = - 0.411, p < 0.001), job resources and subjective well-being (β = 0.204, p < 0.001), and subjective well-being and online teaching anxiety (β = - 0.435, p < 0.001). Meanwhile, the results also proved the effects of the mediating role of subjective well-being between job demands (95% CI = [- 0.138, - 0.225]), job resources (95% CI = [- 0.119, - 0.064]), and online teaching anxiety. The model accounted for 33.8% (f 2 = 0.401) of online teaching anxiety. Conclusion The results of this study indicated that it is important to reduce job demands and increase job resources to alleviate college teachers' online teaching anxiety to maintain good mental health; while maintaining a high level of college teachers' subjective well-being is also helpful for promoting their work performance. Furthermore, the indirect effects of job demands and job resources on online teaching anxiety mediated by college teachers' subjective well-being were also significant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Zhang
- Faculty Development Center, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing, China
| | - Suqi Li
- School of Education Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Shuwen Wang
- School of Education Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jinlei Xu
- School of Education Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China,*Correspondence: Jinlei Xu
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Karatuna I, Jönsson S, Muhonen T. Job Demands, Resources, and Future Considerations: Academics' Experiences of Working From Home During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic. Front Psychol 2022; 13:908640. [PMID: 35832908 PMCID: PMC9272753 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.908640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has severely affected workers, workplaces, and working practices. In the higher education setting, universities have shifted to distance learning, resulting in profound changes in academics' work. In this study, we aimed to describe academics' job demands and resources related to changes in working conditions during the pandemic, and to examine how these changes have affected the perceived occupational wellbeing of academics. Additionally, we aimed to investigate academics' expectations and concerns for future academic working practices following the pandemic. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 26 academics working at various universities in Sweden. A content analysis was used to identify the key themes from the transcribed interviews. The results indicated that academics experienced a lack of face-to-face communication, absence of an academic environment, work overload, and work-home interference as demanding during the pandemic. In relation to resources, online communication options, appropriate working conditions, organizational-social support, and individual factors were perceived as important. Most respondents perceived negative occupational wellbeing outcomes. However, academics who had the appropriate resources were less likely to be affected by job demands. Academics' expectations for future academic work included continuation of working online, flexibility in the choice of workspace, and strengthened digital capacity. Their concerns were related to a lack of face-to-face interaction, management actions and economic implications, and pure digital education. This paper contributes to the literature by illustrating the complexity and diversity of experiences and preferences among academics that are important for universities to consider when organizing and managing future academic work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Işıl Karatuna
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Beykoz University, Istanbul, Turkey
- *Correspondence: Işıl Karatuna
| | - Sandra Jönsson
- Department of Urban Studies, Centre for Work Life and Evaluation Studies (CTA), Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Tuija Muhonen
- Department of School Development and Leadership, Centre for Work Life and Evaluation Studies (CTA), Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden
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Garraio C, Freitas JP, Magalhães SI, Matias M. Work-Life Conflict Among Higher Education Institution Workers' During COVID-19: A Demands-Resources Approach. Front Sociol 2022; 7:856613. [PMID: 35399191 PMCID: PMC8989965 DOI: 10.3389/fsoc.2022.856613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Higher Education Institutions' (HEI) workers were highly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which magnified gender differences in terms of management of work and personal life. Most studies published so far have primarily focused on a group of HEI workers' (i.e., teachers and researchers), but not on staff members, despite their crucial role for HEI functioning. Following the Job Demands-Resources theory, we aimed to: (i) characterize work-life conflict (WLC) among men and women workers from an HEI (staff and teachers/researchers) during the COVID-19 pandemic; and (ii) explore the major predictors of WLC for both staff and teachers/researchers. This study includes a sample of 262 workers from one Portuguese HEI (n = 128 staff members; n = 134 teachers/researchers) who answered an online survey. An Independent Samples T-Test showed that the reported current WLC was significantly higher for teachers/researchers compared to staff. Moreover, women teachers/researchers showed higher WLC than men. Additionally, using a Repeated Measures ANOVA, we found that the increase in the reported levels of WLC (before the pandemic and currently) was significantly more prominent among teachers/researchers than in the staff group. Regarding the predictors of WLC for both groups separately, a Multiple Hierarchical Linear Regression showed that role overload, conceptualized as a demand, was a predictor for both staff and teachers/researchers. As for potential resources, work dedication negatively predicted WLC for staff, whereas family-friendly organization perceptions predicted less WLC for teachers/researchers. These results highlight the importance of understanding HEIs holistically, by considering workers' individual characteristics such as gender, but also distinct careers inside the institutions. As most European HEIs are currently making active efforts to promote gender-equal academic workplaces, these findings may help them design tailored and effective measures to address employees' work-life balance issues, not only considering gender, but also the different types of demands associated with each group of workers within HEIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Garraio
- Department of Psychology - Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Jorge Peixoto Freitas
- Rectory of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sara Isabel Magalhães
- Department of Psychology - Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Center for Psychology at University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Marisa Matias
- Department of Psychology - Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Center for Psychology at University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
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