OCCUPATIONAL STRESS, PSYCHOLOGICAL STRAIN, AND PERSONAL RESOURCES AMONG PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOL TEACHERS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY
Sanghamitra Das, Soniya Ruhil
Assistant Professors, Department of Amity institute of clinical psychology,
Amity University Haryana
ABSTRACT: Teaching is a stressful profession that can expose individuals to various occupational stresses, psychological strains, and challenges to their coping resources. The aim of this study was to compare the differences in occupational stress, psychological strain, and personal resources between public and private school teachers. A comparative study design was used, and a total of 80 participants (40 public and 40 private school teachers) were recruited using a purposive sampling technique. Data were collected using the Occupational Stress Inventory developed by Osipow and Spokane (1987). The data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and independent samples t-tests. The results indicated that there was no significant difference between public and private school teachers in terms of occupational stress, t (78) = -.976, p = .332. However, there was a significant difference in the level of psychological strain reported by both teachers with private school teachers reporting higher levels of psychological strain than their public counterparts, t (78) = -2.795, p = .007, with a moderate effect size (d = 0.63). On the other hand, public school teachers reported higher levels of personal resources than private school teachers, t (78) = 3.806, p < .001, with a large effect size (d = 0.85). The results suggest that while both forms of teachers experience similar levels of occupational stress, personal resources significantly contribute to psychological strain in private school teachers. Therefore, there is a need to increase personal resources such as organizational support to help teachers cope effectively with stress.
KEYWORDS: occupational stress, psychological strain, personal resources, public school teachers, private school teachers.
VOLUME 10 ISSUE 07 2026: 242 – 257