Psychological Distress and Work Engagement among The Faculty Members on University of Batangas: Basis for the Formulation of a Program Involving Mental Health

This is a descriptive-comparative study which aimed to measure the level of work engagement and psychological distress of faculty members. Just as students need support to continue learning, teachers need support to continue teaching. With teachers engaging in a multitude of tasks and their responsibilities not limited to preparing and discussing lessons alone, they are becoming more prone to experiencing higher levels of psychological distress. This can then impact their work engagement and their ability to function effectively. In consideration of this, this study attempted to assess the psychological distress and work engagement of selected faculty members at the University of Batangas (UB) Main Campus. Specifically, this study measured gender differences in terms of psychological distress and work engagement. In addition, the focus of this study also included determining whether a significant relationship exists between teachers' psychological distress and work engagement through the adapted and self-constructed questionnaire. Results showed that selected teachers from the UB exhibited mild forms of psychological distress but high levels of work engagement. No significant differences in psychological distress and work engagement were found between male and female teachers. A mental health program was also proposed as an output of the study to help combat psychological distress and improve work engagement among teachers.