Introduction. In recent decades, academia has undergone profound changes, reshaping the roles and expectations of university staff. Professors and researchers must now excel in teaching, research, funding, patenting outcomes, knowledge transfer, and institutional duties. While dynamic and stimulating, modern academic environments are increasingly demanding, impacting well-being and work-life balance and challenges intensified by COVID-19.
Despite growing interest in academic quality of life, most research remains cross-sectional, relying on general occupational health theories and measurement tools not specifically suited to academia, failing to capture its unique complexities.
Purpose. This study underscores the value of assessing academic quality of life through the repeated use of standardized tools, specifically tailored to the academic context.
Method. Data were collected through five biennial surveys (2017-2025) targeting the same population of researchers and professors within a large public STEM university in northern Italy. Path models analyzed protective and risk factors affecting psychological health. Additionally, latent class analysis identified distinct subgroups based on work engagement and health outcomes, including emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and behavioral stress.
Results. Over time, workload, rewards, and identification with the university emerged as key organizational factors influencing professors' well-being. The relational dimension of work, particularly interactions with administrative staff and students, played a dual role: while serving as a resource for well-being, it also contributed to stress and burnout. The academic workforce is not homogeneous but consists of natural subgroups with varying levels of resilience and psychological health patterns.
Conclusions. Systematic monitoring of professors' work-life quality is crucial for identifying distress and risk factors requiring targeted interventions. Effective monitoring relies on valid theoretical models and tailored assessment tools. This study is the first in Italy to apply this approach to a STEM faculty, offering a potential best-practice model to better assess quality of life in academia and inform the development of appropriate policies.