JOB STRESS AND MENTAL HEALTH IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY TEACHERS.

Sometimes the workplace goes against the expectations of workers rising psychosocial risk, represented by labor stress and mental health disorders. The relationship between stress and mental health has been explored in teachers in higher education but not at other levels. The objective was to determine stress levels and their relation to mental health in teachers of primary and secondary school in the Cauca Colombia. Methodology: descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational study, conducted on 44 teachers. Stress levels were characterized with the Stress Questionnaire Labor SQL (2000) and mental health status was determined with the Goldberg Questionnaire. The correlation between job stress and mental health was explored with Pearson's test, considering α = 0.05. Results: The prevalence of stress was 36.3%. Generating sources of stress for teachers were: organizational climate (95.4%), technology dimension (93.2%) and the influence of the leader (90.9%). The highest prevalence of stress was found in educational level of secondary education (59.1%; P = 0.006). 29.5% of teachers are evaluated mental health cases. Mental health disorders most frequently identified were: somatic symptoms (9.1%), sleep disturbances (4.5%), anxiety and severe depression (2.3%). The correlation of stress with impaired mental health was 54% (P = 0.018). Conclusion: a relationship between stress and mental health disorders in teachers was detected. It is recommended intervention by occupational health.