Draining or rewarding? Measuring the relationship with students and its role in improving the professional well-being of university staff

Little attention has been paid to the role that the quality of relationship with students can play in the professional well-being of academics. The study assessed the psychometric properties of a new scale measuring the dual role of the relationship with students, considered as a form of support or as a draining request. Three samples were enrolled: 289 in 2017 (69.9 % men; 29-70 years; M = 46.9, SD = 9.9), 592 in 2019 (67.9% men, 28-70 years; M = 47.3, SD = 9.4), and 623 in 2021 (70.5% men, 28-69 years; M = 48.7, SD = 9.1). CFA and IRT models were used to test construct validity and reliability of the scale in the first two samples, and a SEM approach was applied in the third sample to assess its nomological validity within the Job Demands-Resources model. The scale resulted in a useful measure of the relation-ship with students and its effects on the academics well-being.