Occupational stress and occupational well-being among rural preschool teachers: a moderated mediation model of job burnout and professional identity.

Introduction: The occupational well-being of rural preschool teachers is important for their professional development, mental health, and the quality of preschool education. However, persistent resource constraints in rural education may pose challenges to teachers' occupational well-being. This study examined the association between occupational stress and occupational well-being among rural preschool teachers, focusing on the indirect role of job burnout and the moderating role of professional identity. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 3,228 rural preschool teachers in Zhejiang Province, China, of whom 98.8% were women. Participants completed validated measures of occupational stress, job burnout, professional identity, and occupational well-being. The hypothesized associations were examined using a moderated mediation model. Results: Occupational stress was significantly and negatively associated with occupational well-being. A significant indirect association between occupational stress and occupational well-being was observed through job burnout, while the direct association remained significant. Professional identity moderated the association between occupational stress and job burnout: this positive association was weaker, but remained statistically significant, at higher levels of professional identity. However, professional identity did not moderate the direct association between occupational stress and occupational well-being. Discussion: The findings suggest that professional identity may serve as a modest personal resource that attenuates the association between occupational stress and job burnout. They also highlight the importance of reducing job demands and strengthening organizational resources to support the occupational well-being of rural preschool teachers.