Digital competencies, student-centered teaching, and teachers’ psychological well-being: the mediating role of coping strategies after COVID-19 pandemic

Psychological well-being among university faculty is a critical factor for sustaining teaching quality and strengthening institutional capacity in higher education. This study examines how digital competencies and student-centered teaching relate to faculty psychological well-being, incorporating the mediating roles of adaptive and maladaptive coping. The sample comprised 233 university instructors from Chilean institutions. Analyses included refined composite measures supported by confirmatory factor analysis and a multiple mediation model. Digital competencies showed a direct positive association with psychological well-being ( β = .18, p = .010). Student-centered teaching did not show a direct association with well-being, but it was indirectly associated with it through adaptive coping [B = 0.04, 95% CI (0.01, 0.08)]. In addition, both adaptive coping and lower maladaptive coping were positively associated with psychological well-being. These findings suggest that digital competencies may operate as a direct teaching-related resource linked to faculty well-being, whereas student-centered teaching may contribute indirectly through adaptive coping. The study highlights the relevance of integrating digital training, pedagogical support, and coping-related resources in efforts to strengthen teacher well-being in increasingly digital and participatory higher education environments.