Keywords: university faculty, health sciences, perceived stress, burnout, professional quality of life, occupational balance, institutional support, primary care/medical education, Europe.

Background:

University faculty in health sciences face substantial emotional and organisational demands due to combined responsibilities in teaching, research, administration, and—in some cases—clinical supervision. While mental health and burnout have been widely studied in healthcare workers and students, health sciences faculty remain under-researched despite potential vulnerability to stress, compassion fatigue, and occupational imbalance. Understanding these factors is essential to inform institutional strategies that support sustainable academic careers and workforce wellbeing.

Research questions:

What are the levels of perceived stress, professional quality of life (compassion satisfaction, burnout, compassion fatigue), occupational and occupational satisfaction among health sciences faculty in Spain?
How are these outcomes associated with sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, sense of coherence, and perceived institutional support?
Which subgroups show higher vulnerability,?

Method:

Cross-sectional observational study (STROBE). Health sciences faculty in Spain (medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychology, dentistry, pharmacy, and related fields) were recruited via convenience and snowball sampling through institutional dissemination. Data were collected anonymously online (Microsoft Forms®). Measures included PSS-10, OBQ-E, ProQoL, SOC-13, and an ad hoc perceived institutional support index. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and Pearson correlations were used (p<0.05). Ethics approval: Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Nº070720255722025).

Results:

N=253; 67.6% women; mean age 46.1±11.5; 88.1% full-time; 83% public universities; 47.4% >10 years teaching. Mean perceived stress was 15.5±7.4; 49% reported moderate stress. Occupational balance was moderate (OBQ-E 42.5±12.2). ProQoL showed high compassion satisfaction in 53.4% and moderate compassion fatigue in 74.3%; burnout was mainly low–moderate. Occupational satisfaction was highest for work performance (7.6±1.5) and lower for interpersonal satisfaction (6.1±2.1) and work–rest–self-care balance (5.8±2.3). Women reported higher stress than men (p=0.049), and stress decreased with age (r=−0.229, p<0.001). Institutional support was heterogeneous (mean 28.7±7.9).

Conclusions:

Health sciences faculty in Spain report moderate stress and occupational balance, substantial compassion fatigue, and variable institutional support. These findings support targeted organisational strategies and justify a planned comparative European phase.

Points for discussion:

How does career stage influence vulnerability to stress, compassion fatigue, and occupational imbalance among health sciences faculty?

To what extent do gendered academic roles and expectations contribute to higher stress and reduced occupational balance in women faculty?

How can institutional support mechanisms be strengthened to improve occupational balance and professional quality of life in health sciences academia?