Quality of life in university professors: association with components of spirituality and professional achievement.

Résumé

BACKGROUND: University professors face considerable workload pressures and professional demands that can negatively affect their quality of life (QoL). Positive emotions associated with spirituality and religiousness (S/R) have been linked to enhanced QoL in various populations; however, limited research has explored this relationship among university professors.OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between spirituality/religiousness and quality of life among university professors, identifying the most influential spiritual facets and relevant sociodemographic predictors.METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 213 professors from a public university in Goiás, Brazil. Participants completed the WHOQOL-BREF (QoL) and WHOQOL-SRPB (S/R) instruments, both validated for the Brazilian population.RESULTS: Seven of the eight S/R facets showed significant positive correlations ( ≤ 0.01) with QoL domains. The strongest associations were observed in the psychological domain, particularly for hope and optimism ( = 0.67), spiritual strength ( = 0.62), and faith ( = 0.59). Regression analyses indicated that these facets were the strongest independent predictors of overall QoL (  = 0.28). Professional and sociodemographic factors such as academic degree, job satisfaction, professional recognition, and income were also associated with higher QoL, while holding multiple employment contracts was inversely related to it.CONCLUSION: Higher levels of S/R were positively associated with QoL among university professors. These findings highlight the potential value of integrating spirituality-based activities into university wellness programs as effective strategies to promote well-being and help faculty manage occupational demands.