Healthy school, Healthy teachers: Mediating effect of optimism

Abstract

Background: In the last decades we have witnessed a growing deterioration of teachers’ health and well-being that affects in the quality of teaching and learning process and the school as an organization. Organizational and personal variables, related to positive psychology, have been little studied in research associated with teachers' health. Aims: This study aimed to understand: (a) the direct relationships between organizational health and the various dimensions of health of these professionals (professional well-being, exhaustion and cognitive, musculoskeletal and voice disorders); (b) the direct relationship between organizational health and optimism; (c) the indirect effects of optimism on the relationship between organizational health and the various dimensions of teacher’s health. Method: The investigation protocol was applied to a sample of 12104 Portuguese teachers, from elementary and high schools. The organizational health mediation model on teacher’s health was evaluated through structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: The results obtained confirmed the tested hypotheses. Organizational health and optimism have a positive association with professional well-being and a negative association with other health dimensions. Organizational health has a positive association with optimism. Optimism mediates the relationship between organizational health and the various dimensions of teacher’s health. Conclusions: Organizational health has significant effects on teachers' health. Optimism is an important variable to consider in future intervention programs with teachers.