La docencia perjudica seriamente la salud. Análisis de los síntomas asociados al estrés docente

Resumen

The present study analyzes the presence of symptoms associated with physical, psychological and social stress in a sample of 240 primary and secondary teachers. With respect to the symptoms prevalence, teachers reported moderate levels of psychological symptoms, and moderate-high levels of physical and social symptoms associated to stress. The symptoms more frequently reported by the teachers were: back and neck pains, voice problems, feelings of no time for themselves, states of continuous hurry, headaches, easy irritability and emotional exhaustation, among others. With regard to the possible differences of symptoms depending on the level of grade level taught and gender teachers, the results showed did not exist differences depending on the level of of grade level taught although we found significant gender differences. The women reported significantly more symptoms in all symptomatology dimensions. Therefore, we found an interaction effect of the level of grade level taught by gender for predicting physical symptomatology. In this respect, females teachers from secondary school showed more frequently physical symptoms that their females primary co-workers and even more than their male secondary colleagues. Possible explanations are discussed and the importance of developing programs of managing of the stress in those groups more vulnerable to suffer symptoms and diseases are also underlined.