Psychosocial Risks and Violence Against Teachers. Is It Possible to Promote Well-Being at Work?

Sabrina Berlanda, Marta Fraizzoli, Federica de Cordova and Monica Pedrazza
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Sabrina Berlanda: Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, via San Francesco 22, 37129 Verona, Italy
Marta Fraizzoli: Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, via San Francesco 22, 37129 Verona, Italy
Federica de Cordova: Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, via San Francesco 22, 37129 Verona, Italy
Monica Pedrazza: Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, via San Francesco 22, 37129 Verona, Italy

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 22, 1-13

Abstract: Teaching has been reported to be one of the most stressful occupations, with heavy psychological demands, including the need to develop positive relationships with students and their parents; relationships that, in turn, play a significant role in teachers’ well-being. It follows that the impact of any violence perpetrated by a student or parent against a teacher is particularly significant and represents a major occupational health concern. The present study examines for the first time the influence of the Job Demands-Control-Support Model on violence directed against teachers. Six hundred and eighty-six teachers working in elementary and high schools in north-east Italy completed an online, self-report questionnaire. Our findings reveal the role played by working conditions in determining teachers’ experience of violence: greater job demands are associated with most offense types, whereas the availability of diffused social support at school is associated with lower rates of harassment. Workload should be equally distributed and kept under control, and violence should gain its place in the shared daily monitoring of practices and experiences at school in order to provide a socially supportive work environment for all teachers.

Keywords: violence against teachers; teachers’ well-being; social support; job demand; job control (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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