Remote teaching work and health: repercussions of new requirements in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

The study aimed to describe characteristics of remote work, mental health status and sleep quality in the COVID-19 pandemic among teachers in Bahia, Brazil. A websurvey was conducted, following the CHERRIES protocol, with teachers from all levels of education in the state’s private network. A total of 1,444 professors participated, from June 18 to July 30, 2020. There was a predominance of women (76.1%), 21-41 years (61.6%), black (71.9%), ten years or more in the profession (56.9%). In the pandemic, 51.4% reported changes in the employment contract and 76.8%, an increase in working hours. The home environment and equipment had a low level of suitability for remote work: physical space (19.6%), furniture (21.7%), noise level (17.2%), computers (44.5%) and internet broadband (36.7%). Among women, 42.3% reported high housework burden; among men, 17.4%. The women presented a worrying health situation, highlighting anxiety crises (53.7%), bad mood (78.0%), common mental disorders (69.0%) and poor sleep quality (84.6%). The pandemic remodeled the ways of exercising the teaching profession. The work, transferred to the home, was superimposed on domestic and family activities, producing consequences for the health of teachers that, although little known, are alarming. The results strengthen the need for actions to deal with situations of public calamity, measures to regulate remote work and protect teachers’ health.

Keywords:
teachers; work conditions; worker’s health; coronavirus infections