Relationship between Occupational Stress and Resilience among Mathematics Teachers of Higher Secondary Schools in Kerala

ABSTRACT: Today, teachers face a multitude of problems related to student issues, job-related concerns, and complications in the teaching, learning, and evaluation processes. In addition to these profession-related problems, they naturally have to manage their personal and familial concerns. In such situations, there is a significant possibility of deterioration in the mental health of teachers. Since mathematics is considered a difficult subject by many, teachers who deal with this subject often face additional hardships in their profession. In higher secondary schools, where students are adolescents, the situation becomes even more challenging. Therefore, the mental health of teachers is of high concern and should be frequently monitored. The present study attempts to explore the relationship between occupational stress and resilience, a protective factor against mental health issues (Vergara et al., 2024), among mathematics teachers in higher secondary schools in the state of Kerala, India, surveying a random sample of 150 teachers. Pearson’s correlation analysis of the data reveals a moderate level of relationship between occupational stress and resilience among teachers, emphasizing the need to employ strategies that increase resilience levels, thereby mitigating occupational stress.