Feeling supported and engaged during COVID-19: the role of family and colleagues in promoting teachers’ well-being

The present study aimed at analysing the impact of teachers’ perceived family and colleague support and work engagement on their well-being and life satisfaction during the first European wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. While implementing distance learning and complying with school closures, 1036 Italian teachers took part in an online survey. A structural equation path model showed that perceiving to be supported by family members directly influenced teachers’ well-being and life satisfaction. The perceived support of colleagues promoted life satisfaction directly and indirectly via increased teachers’ work engagement, whereas teachers’ well-being only indirectly. Our findings offer insights into how to better support teachers during times of crisis by creating a good and healthy work environment, which promotes teachers’ well-being.