The Effect of Challenge-Hindrance Stress on Psychache among Middle and Primary School Teachers

BACKGROUND: Middle and primary school teachers are experiencing considerable stress from their careers. However, previous studies on work stress among teachers focused on the influence of various types of stress on individuals but failed to explore the relationship among middle and primary school teachers’ work stress, psychache. We aimed to examine the basic conditions of the challenge-hindrance stress of middle and primary school teachers as well as its relationship with psychache and psychological resilience. METHOD: A total of 512 middle and primary school teachers from Zhejiang and Anhui in China were enrolled from May to October 2021. The subjects were evaluated with the challenge–hindrance stress questionnaire, psychache scale, and psychological resilience scale. t-test, ANOVA analysis, correlation analysis, and multivariate regression analysis were used to explore the relationship between challenge-hindrance stress and psychache RESULTS: Middle and primary school teachers generally experience high challenge–hindrance stress and psychache. The challenge-hindrance stress had a significantly positive correlation with psychache (r=0.295, 0.439, P<0.01) and a significantly negative correlation with psychological resilience (r = −0.320, −0.494, P<0.01). Challenge–hindrance stress could be used to significantly predict the psychache. Specifically, challenge stress and hindrance stress could significantly positively predicted the psychache (β=0.295 and β=0.439, respectively). In addition, psychological resilience exerted a partial mediating effect on the relationship between challenge–hindrance stress and psychache. CONCLUSION: The challenge–hindrance stress of middle and primary school teachers influences their psychache directly as well as indirectly through the mediating effect of psychological resilience.