Structural Equation Modeling Approach in Explaining the Impact of Job Stress with Mediation of Job Motivation on Psychological Well-Being of Instructors in Specific Learning Disorder Centers

Background & purpose: The aim of this study was to design and test a model of job stress on psychological well-being mediated by job motivation in educators of Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) centers. Materials and Methods: This study used a structural equation modeling in which the statistical population includes all the instructors working in SLD centers affiliated to the Special Needs Education Organization, during the academic year 1397-1398. A total of 1030 people participated in the study voluntarily by non-random sampling. The research instruments included a short form of Reef Psychological Welfare Questionnaire (1989), Orly and Girdano (1980) Job Stress Questionnaire, and Shuffle and Salanova (2001) Job Attention Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using structural equation method and AMOS software. Results: The results showed that job stress has a direct negative effect on instructors’ psychological well-being; in the same way as job motivation indirectly effects their psychological well-being (P <0.05) in SLD centers. Conclusion: It can be concluded that job stress directly reduces the psychological well-being of educators in SLD centers and also indirectly, job stress modulates the psychological well-being of educators by increasing job motivation. Therefore, the results of this study can be applied in staff development programs at national and provincial levels as well as to identify the existing challenges to improve the psychological well-being of the instructors in SLD centers by taking an ecological approach into account.