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A Cross-Sectional Study of the Perceived Stress, Well-Being and Their Relations with Work-Related Behaviours among Hong Kong School Leaders during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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  • Sam S. S. Lau

    (Research Centre for Environment and Human Health, School of Continuing Education, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
    Multidisciplinary Research Centre, School of Continuing Education, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
    College of International Education, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
    Institute of Bioresource and Agriculture, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong)

  • Eric N. Y. Shum

    (Research Centre for Environment and Human Health, School of Continuing Education, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong)

  • Jackie O. T. Man

    (Research Centre for Environment and Human Health, School of Continuing Education, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
    Multidisciplinary Research Centre, School of Continuing Education, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong)

  • Ethan T. H. Cheung

    (Research Centre for Environment and Human Health, School of Continuing Education, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
    Multidisciplinary Research Centre, School of Continuing Education, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong)

  • Padmore Adusei Amoah

    (School of Graduate Studies, Department of Applied Psychology, Institute of Policy Studies, Lingnan University, Hong Kong)

  • Angela Y. M. Leung

    (School of Nursing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong)

  • Orkan Okan

    (Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University Munich, 80333 Munich, Germany)

  • Kevin Dadaczynski

    (Public Health Centre Fulda, Fulda University of Applied Sciences, D-36039 Fulda, Germany
    Center for Applied Health Science, Leuphana University Lueneburg, 21335 Lueneburg, Germany)

Abstract

The health and well-being of school leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic have been largely neglected compared to the health and well-being of students and teachers. This study assessed the magnitude of perceived stress and well-being and the associated factors, including number of working hours, work-related sense of coherence (work-SoC), perceived stress, self-endangering work behaviour, secondary burnout symptoms, and satisfaction with work, among school leaders in Hong Kong, China during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional, survey-based study collected demographic data and mental health measurements from 259 eligible school leaders in Hong Kong from April 2021 to February 2022. Pearson’s correlation analyses, multilinear regression models, and independent-samples Student’s t-tests were performed. The findings revealed that school leaders’ perceived stress was negatively correlated with their well-being ( r = −0.544, p < 0.01) and work-related SoC ( r = −0.327, p < 0.01) but positively correlated with their extensification of work ( r = 0.473, p < 0.01), exhaustion related to work situations ( r = 0.559, p < 0.01), and psychosomatic complaints ( r = 0.439, p < 0 .01). In a model that adjusted for gender and age, student leaders with higher subjective well-being scores had a lower level of perceived stress (B = −0.031; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.59, −0.02; p = 0.034), whereas leaders in schools with a larger student population had a higher level of perceived stress (B = 0.002; 95% CI, 0.000, 0.003; p = 0.030). School leaders with a higher likelihood of performing the self-endangering work behaviour of ‘intensification of work’ had higher perceived stress levels (B = 1.497; 95% CI, 0.717, 2.278; p < 0.001). School leaders with a higher work-related SoC (B = 4.20; 95% CI, 1.290, 7.106; p = 0.005) had a higher level of well-being. School leaders with higher levels of perceived stress (B = −0.734; 95% CI, −1.423, −0.044; p = 0.037), a higher likelihood of performing the self-endangering work behaviour of ‘extensification of work’ (B = −4.846; 95% CI, −8.543, −1.149; p = 0.010), and a higher score for exhaustion related to work (B = −10.449; 95% CI, −13.864, −7.033; p = 0.000) showed lower levels of well-being. The finding of a high incidence of stress among school leadership justifies the need for more societal attention to the well-being of school leaders in Hong Kong. It is important that policies and initiatives are designed to enhance the well-being of school leaders and that they are supported in leading the management of schools and coping with stress in school settings.

Suggested Citation

  • Sam S. S. Lau & Eric N. Y. Shum & Jackie O. T. Man & Ethan T. H. Cheung & Padmore Adusei Amoah & Angela Y. M. Leung & Orkan Okan & Kevin Dadaczynski, 2022. "A Cross-Sectional Study of the Perceived Stress, Well-Being and Their Relations with Work-Related Behaviours among Hong Kong School Leaders during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-18, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:23:p:15777-:d:985608
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Katarina Wijk & Eva L. Bergsten & David M. Hallman, 2020. "Sense of Coherence, Health, Well-Being, and Work Satisfaction before and after Implementing Activity-Based Workplaces," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-15, July.
    2. Francis Green, 2004. "Work Intensification, Discretion, and the Decline in Well-Being at Work," Eastern Economic Journal, Eastern Economic Association, vol. 30(4), pages 615-625, Fall.
    3. Elizabeth Dhuey & Justin Smith, 2014. "How important are school principals in the production of student achievement?," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 47(2), pages 634-663, May.
    4. Pierluigi Diotaiuti & Stefania Mancone & Fernando Bellizzi & Giuseppe Valente, 2020. "The Principal at Risk: Stress and Organizing Mindfulness in the School Context," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-14, August.
    5. Ilaria Buonomo & Caterina Fiorilli & Luciano Romano & Paula Benevene, 2020. "The Roles of Work-Life Conflict and Gender in the Relationship between Workplace Bullying and Personal Burnout. A Study on Italian School Principals," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-17, November.
    6. Sam S. S. Lau & Eric N. Y. Shum & Jackie O. T. Man & Ethan T. H. Cheung & Padmore Adusei Amoah & Angela Y. M. Leung & Kevin Dadaczynski & Orkan Okan, 2022. "COVID-19-Related Health Literacy of School Leaders in Hong Kong: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-17, October.
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