Exploring the Nexus of Occupational Stress, Mental Health, and Quality of Work Life Among Rural Female Teachers in Chhattisgarh: An Empirical Investigation of Interrelationships

Abstract

Female teachers in India's rural, tribal, and conflict-affected regions face dual burdens of intensive school responsibilities and domestic expectations, yet their psychological well-being receives limited research and policy attention. This study examines interrelationships among occupational stress, mental health, and quality of work life (QWL) for 1,020 married female teachers in gram panchayat primary and upper primary schools across Chhattisgarh's Bastar Division, a tribal and Naxal-affected area. A descriptive survey used three validated instruments—Occupational Stress Scale for Female Teachers (OSSFT), Women Teachers Mental Health Scale (Marbaniang & Bhutia, 2019), and Quality of Work Life Scale (Dhar et al., 2008)—with Pearson correlations testing hypotheses. Occupational stress negatively correlated with mental health (r = -0.7412), mental health positively correlated with QWL (r = 0.7599), and occupational stress negatively correlated with QWL (r = -0.6603), all at p < .01. These findings highlight mental health as a mediator and urge policy interventions aligned with NEP 2020.