Abstract

Introduction: Online teaching was one of the most prominent strategies adopted to sustain academic activity during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, this modality imposed high emotional demands on university faculty. Objective: To analyze the sociodemographic, occupational, and health-related characteristics of faculty members at a private Chilean university who experienced burnout and symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A quantitative, observational, correlational, and cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021 with a convenience sample of 124 faculty members. Data were collected using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and a self-administered survey on sociodemographic, occupational, and health variables, distributed via a web platform. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, as well as parametric and non-parametric tests (chi-square test of independence, Spearman and Pearson correlation coefficients, ANOVA, and Student's t-test for independent samples). Results: Among participants, 39.5% exhibited symptoms of depression, 54% anxiety, 58.1% stress, and 9.5% met criteria for burnout. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed in the burnout subscales across sociodemographic, occupational, and health variables. Likewise, significant differences were found in depression, stress, and anxiety scores across these same variables. Conclusions: The findings reveal a significant mental health burden among university faculty, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive interventions that foster wellbeing , strengthen preparedness for future crisis scenarios similar to the pandemic.