Emotional Exhaustion Variables in Trainee Teachers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: emotional exhaustion among trainee teachers is a relevant topic since it could have repercussions regarding the lives of their future pupils. Our objective was to determine the degree of trainee teachers' emotional exhaustion and associated variables during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: the design was cross-sectional and descriptive. Questionnaires with sociodemographic variables, perceptions of mental health, and the Emotional Exhaustion Scale (ECE) (α = 0.890; ω = 0.893) validated for the Chilean context were answered by 204 trainee teachers. The results were analyzed using SPSS software version 25 and the Emotional Exhaustion Interpretation Table (EES-Int). RESULTS: the results show that 92.2% of the trainee teachers presented a worsening in their mental health, stress (66.2%), irritability (38.2%), anxiety (37.7%), and depressive symptoms (32.8%). Online classes (73.04%) and the pandemic (67.6%) were the main influencing factors. Education students who perceived their mental health had worsened became 6.63 times more likely to develop emotional exhaustion [AOR = 6.63; 95% CI: 1.78, 24.69]. In addition, education students with a high perception of academic stress were 7.45 more likely to develop emotional exhaustion [AOR = 7.45; 95% CI: 1.98, 28.09]. CONCLUSION: we can conclude that trainee teachers have high levels of emotional exhaustion and their perception of their mental health and the academic stress they are being subjected to during the COVID-19 pandemic may lead them to present symptoms of frequent or permanent problems with concentration, attention, recall of information, dissatisfaction with their performance, and frequent learning difficulties. From the affective dimension, they present frequent or permanent anxiety, restlessness, irritability, indifference, low mood, and psychomatization. From the socio-interactional dimension, they present frequent or permanent social withdrawal, interpersonal problems, problems at work or school, and family and relationship problems. Increasing the sample to delve into emotional exhaustion by subject area is necessary. For future studies, research should be conducted on the causes of emotional exhaustion by subject area and the coping strategies of trainee teachers to understand differences and provide input on emotional support in practice.

Psychometric Properties of the Emotional Exhaustion Scale (ECE) in Chilean Higher Education Students.

The main objective of this study was to estimate the psychometric properties of the Emotional Fatigue Scale (ECE) in a sample of 1308 Chilean university students and confirm the unifactorial structure of the scale. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were carried out. The ECE assessment had an internal consistency of 0.893 (Cronbach's Alpha). An exploratory factor analysis with Varimax rotation and a confirmatory analysis were performed, obtaining the factor that explains 52.3% of the variance. The results indicated that the ECE has adequate psychometric properties for use with higher education students in Chile. The ECE scale has good psychometric properties to be applied in the Chilean university context. Its usage may be very relevant to contribute to higher education institutions to emphasize students' mental health and prevent possible severe pathologies in future professionals. It is suggested to use the ECE scale together with the EES-Int, which is the only interpretation table for this instrument.

Emotional Exhaustion and Mental Health in a Sample of Chilean Social Science Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract Emotional exhaustion and mental health in university students are a public health problem given the harmful repercussions they have on their quality of life and the possible future consequences, even more so if in the academic period the students are affected by a pandemic like COVID -19. This research aimed to determine the presence and degree of emotional exhaustion and its possible repercussions on mental health in social science students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The design was descriptive and cross-sectional, and a questionnaire was used with sociodemographic variables, perception of the affectation of mental health, and the scale of emotional exhaustion (ECE). The results were that a high percentage of 90.2% reported a worsening of their mental health with the presentation of stress symptoms (64.1%), sensitivity (41%), anxiety/distress (39.7%), irritability (39.4%), and depressive symptoms (34.9%). The influencing factors were the pandemic (61.9%), confinement and social distancing (47.3%), economic problems (41.6%), and the news (23.8%). In addition, a high (65.7%); medium (29.2%) and low (5.1%) emotional exhaustion. We can conclude that social sciences students find themselves with high degrees of emotional exhaustion and a perception of a great deterioration in their mental health. These results should call our attention to continue studying the mental health consequences of COVID-19 to prevent possible mental pathologies in the future.