University employees during the coronavirus pandemic Health and well-being of university employees with daycare- and elementary school-aged children

Background The coronavirus pandemic turns out to be a multidimensional stressor for the entire German population in 2020/2021. Studies indicate that these corona-related changes are also challenging for university employees with children. Parents were exposed to stress factors, which can be negatively associated with various psychological, social and physical aspects. Objectives Investigation of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on health and well-being of university employees with daycare- and primary school-aged children. Methods Using a standardized online questionnaire, university employees in Saxony and Baden-Wuerttemberg were contacted and asked about their living and working situation during the coronavirus pandemic as well as their subjective well-being and health. Results The respondents perceive the changes in the social situation, the deterioration of the balance between work and private life and the blurring of boundaries between work and private time as particularly stressful. The respondents in Saxony show significantly worse ratings than in Baden-Wuerttemberg for various stress factors in relation to the work situation. In both states, slightly more than half of the respondents marked categories that indicate a lack of well-being. Conclusions The coronavirus pandemic and its accompanying protective measures have had negative effects on the well-being of university employees with children of daycare and elementary school age. The extent to which these effects will become apparent in the longer term, for example, whether structural measures of remote work and online teaching in universities are made permanent, must be examined in the future.