Abstract

BREEDT, Jozef E.; MARAIS, Belinda  and  PATRICIOS, Jon. The psychosocial work conditions and mental well-being of independent school heads in South Africa. SAJHRM [online]. 2023, vol.21, pp.1-14. ISSN 2071-078X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v21i0.2203.

ORIENTATION: Numerous international studies have investigated the well-being of school Heads. Studies have shown the impact of psychosocial work conditions leading to burnout and stress, negatively impacting on mental well-being. This study aimed to determine the psychosocial work conditions and mental well-being of South African independent School Heads RESEARCH PURPOSE: Assessing the psychosocial work conditions and the potential impact on mental well-being of school Heads as this has not been previously studied in South Africa MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY: Heads have multiple responsibilities in the school setting. An imbalance in job resources and demands as reflected by the psychosocial work conditions negatively impacts mental well-being and puts Heads at risk for mental illness RESEARCH APPROACH/DESIGN AND METHOD: The study adopted a quantitative research approach, using an anonymous cross-sectional questionnaire design, distributed to Heads of independent schools in South Africa (N = 817; n = 296). A demographic questionnaire, the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) III-middle version and mental health continuum-short form (MHC-SF) were used to collect data. Spearman correlation, analysis of variance and univariate linear regression were used to describe associations MAIN FINDINGS: This study demonstrated fair correlation between various psychosocial work conditions and mental well-being. Furthermore, two demographic groups were identified as being most at risk for poorer well-being: younger and female Heads PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: This study assisted in identifying at risk groups for possible psychosocial intervention CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD: This study served to address the previous knowledge gap in South Africa regarding the mental well-being of school Heads and will potentially pioneer further studies in specific modifiable factors and intervention programmes

Keywords : independent school heads; well-being; psychosocial work conditions; COPSOQ III; MHC-SF.

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