The Impact of Psychological Contract Reconfiguration in the Context of Digital Transformation on the Mental Health of University Students and Teachers
Qian LiAbstract
Objective
Digital educational transformation brings drastic pedagogical and managerial changes that induce widespread psychological pressure, unstable mental states and latent mental health risks among university teachers and students. The breakdown of traditional psychological contracts further impairs individual psychological well-being. This study explores educator-student psychological contract reconfiguration under digital education scenarios, aiming to relieve transformation-related psychological pressure, stabilize positive mental states, and improve the overall mental health of teachers and students.
Subjects and Methods
This study adopted a mixed-methods design, recruiting 350 teachers and 1200 students from six digitally transformed universities. Over 12 months of longitudinal tracking, combined with psychological scale measurement and qualitative interviews, this study systematically examined dynamic changes in multi-dimensional psychological contracts and analyzed their interactive relationships with adaptive psychological pressure, fluctuating mental states and individual mental health indicators.
Results
Digital transformation greatly reshapes psychological contract expectations, causing prevalent adaptive psychological pressure and mental state fluctuations. Balanced psychological contract reconstruction significantly boosts teachers’ job satisfaction and students’ learning engagement. Transparent and adaptive ecosystem optimization effectively reduces transformation-related psychological pressure, mitigates negative mental states, and realizes a 40% measurable improvement in overall mental health indicators, with relational contract elements serving as the core protective factor for mental health maintenance.
Conclusions
Psychological contract reconfiguration functions as a vital mental health intervention mechanism in digital education reform. Proactive optimization can effectively alleviate persistent psychological pressure, correct negative mental states, and sustain long-term mental health stability for teachers and students. This human-centered framework balances digital educational innovation and psychological wellness, providing solid theoretical and practical support for mental health-oriented university education management.
Corresponding Author
Qian Li, Nanjing Audit University, Jiangsu, Nanjing, 21000, China.