Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic, originated in China, has affected millions of people worldwide, leading to various situations such as psychological disorders and diseases that affect people’s physical and mental health, and disrupt their quality of life. Objective. To analyze stress levels during social distancing due to COVID-19 by gender and to determine the moderating effect of adaptability to the situation. Method. The study is cross-sectional and quantitative, with a descriptive-correlational scope. The sample consisted of 1,173 Mexican subjects (522 males [44.5%] and 651 females [22.5%]) with an average age of 25.99 years (DT = 11.19; range = 12 - 77 years). Adaptability and perceived stress were measured, obtaining reliability from appropriate instruments. Results. The results indicated that the greater the number of weeks of social distancing, the higher the perceived level of stress. Also, the better people adapt to social distancing, the less stress occurs. Women were observed to have higher levels of stress compared to men. Discussion and conclusion. The findings highlight the importance of adaptability to the stressful situation of the pandemic, because the effect of severe stress on women largely disappears when there is a high level of adaptability to the event.

The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties, structure, and factorial invariance regarding the gender of the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale adapted to the educational work context. A total of 568 teachers from 74 schools (63% women, 37% men) between 18 and 63 years of age (Mage = 37.37; SD = 10.37) participated. The results revealed adequate goodness-of-fit indexes for the proposed models (two and six factors); the six-factor model presented a better fit to the data. The reliability of the different subscales was adequate and presented evidence of strict factorial invariance with regard to gender groups. In conclusion, the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale is a reliable and valid instrument, based on the theory of self-determination that can be used to measure the degree of satisfaction and frustration of autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the educational work context of Mexico.ResumenEl objetivo del estudio fue examinar las propiedades psicométricas, estructura e invarianza factorial respecto al sexo de la Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction y Frustration Scale adaptada al contexto laboral educativo en México. Participaron 568 profesores de 74 planteles educativos (63% mujeres, 37% hombres) con edades comprendidas entre 18 y 63 años (Medad = 37.37; DT = 10.37). Los resultados revelaron índices de bondad de ajuste adecuados para los modelos propuestos (dos y seis factores), de los cuales, el modelo de seis factores presentó mejor ajuste a los datos. Las fiabilidades de las diferentes subescalas fueron adecuadas y se presenta evidencia de invarianza factorial estricta respecto a los grupos de sexo. En conclusión, la escala satisfacción y frustración de las necesidades psicológicas básicas es un instrumento fiable y válido, basado en la teoría de la autodeterminación que puede ser utilizado para medir el grado de satisfacción y frustración de autonomía, competencia y relaciones en el contexto laboral educativo de México.

Estudios en diferentes contextos resaltan el papel que juegan las necesidades psicológicas básicas en el desarrollo de una motivación de calidad. La evidencia muestra que las personas con una motivación generada por regulaciones más autónomas muestran mayor bienestar y emociones positivas como alegría, entusiasmo, etc. Es por ello que el objetivo del estudio fue poner a prueba un modelo explicativo que contemple cómo influye la satisfacción y frustración de las necesidades psicológicas básicas sobre los tipos de motivación y la salud mental medida a través de los afectos positivos y negativos en profesores de educación básica de diferentes escuelas públicas de Nuevo León. Participaron 568 profesores (as) de educación básica (63% mujeres, 37% hombres) con edades entre 17 y 63 años (Medad = 37.37; DT = 10.37). Los resultados revelan índices de bondad de ajuste satisfactorios (CFI = .926, TLI = .923, NNFI = .923, RMSEA = .051). Las fiabilidades a través del alfa de Cronbach y el Omega de McDonald fueron adecuadas. En conclusión, los afectos positivos (bienestar) y negativos (malestar) se pueden expresar de una manera correcta por la satisfacción y frustración de las necesidades psicológicas básicas, mediado por la motivación, ya sea autónoma controlada o no motivación.

During physical education classes, one of the contextual factors that can influence motivation is the teacher’s interpersonal style. The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties, structure, and factorial invariance across gender of the physical education teachers’ Interpersonal Styles Questionnaire of Sonora, Mexico. The participants were 500 students (50.8% boys, 49.2% girls) aged between 9 and 13 years old (mean age (Mage) = 10.72; standard deviation (SD) = 0.74) from different elementary schools of Sonora, Mexico. In terms of measuring the teacher’s interpersonal styles, the short version of the Learning Climate Questionnaire was used to measure autonomy support, whereas the Teacher Controllingness Scale was used to measure controlling style. The results support the structure and factorial invariance across gender groups of the Mexican version of the Interpersonal Styles Questionnaire for Physical Education (Cuestionario de Estilos Interpersonales en la Educación Física (CEI-EF, by its initials in Spanish)). In conclusion, the CEI-EF is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used to assess the teachers’ interpersonal styles and draw comparisons between groups of boys and girls.