The Strength to Care: Resilience, Work Engagement, and Professional Quality of Life Among School Psychologists in Greece
Abstract
Resilience, work engagement, and professional quality of life have been widely studied among mental health professionals; however, evidence regarding school psychologists in Greece is lacking. School psychologists operate in demanding educational settings characterized by high workloads and limited resources, yet their well-being remains largely understudied. The present study examined, for the first time, the interrelations between resilience, professional quality of life, and work engagement among school psychologists working in Greece. A total of 355 participants (91.5% female; M = 37.6 years) completed the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), and the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-CSF), along with sociodemographic and work-related questions. Results indicated high levels of resilience and work engagement, along with low levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Compassion satisfaction, resilience, and access to professional resources emerged as the strongest positive predictors of work engagement, whereas longer service and male gender were weakly associated with lower engagement. Structural equation modeling showed that compassion satisfaction statistically mediated the relationship between resilience and work engagement. These findings underscore the importance of promoting resilience and compassion satisfaction through targeted interventions and organizational policies. Enhancing supportive work environments, professional supervision, and access to resources may foster school psychologists’ engagement, well-being, and long-term professional sustainability.