Teachers' wellbeing and depressive symptoms, and associated risk factors: A large cross sectional study in English secondary schools

A General Survey of Pharynlaryngeal Diseases and Voice Disorders Among Basic Education Teachers in Tianjin

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we created a city-wide database of pharynlaryngeal diseases and voice disorders among basic education teachers to analyze the incidence, distribution, and risk factors of pharynlaryngeal diseases and voice disorders.

METHODS

A total of 47,823 teachers in primary and secondary schools and kindergartens of Tianjin were enrolled in this study and underwent questionnaires and throat examinations. In addition, the data were subjected to descriptive statistics, chi-square analysis, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS

Pharynlaryngeal diseases and voice disorders had an overall prevalence of 69.42% among basic education teachers in Tianjin, wherein the prevalence of chronic pharyngitis, chronic hyperplastic laryngitis, and chronic simple laryngitis were the highest at 39.45%, 19.80%, and 15.59%, respectively. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis suggest that pharynlaryngeal diseases and voice disorders were statistically correlated with gender (P < 0.001), years of teaching (P < 0.001), school district (P < 0.001), class size (P < 0.001), subjective assessment of teachers on vocal loudness (P < 0.001), neck and shoulder discomfort (P < 0.001), smoking (P < 0.001), psychological stress (P = 0.002), and frequent habitual throat clearing (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the risk factors for pharynlaryngeal diseases and voice disorders were age (P = 0.002), school district (P < 0.001), class size (P = 0.008), neck and shoulder discomfort (P = 0.038), smoking (P < 0.001), water intake habits during class (P = 0.023), and frequent habitual throat clearing (P = 0.001) for male teachers, and for female teachers, it was age (P < 0.001), school district (P < 0.001), daily teaching hours (P = 0.005), class size (P < 0.001), subjective assessment of teachers on vocal loudness (P < 0.001), neck and shoulder discomfort (P < 0.001), smoking (P = 0.033), psychological stress (P = 0.003), and frequent habitual throat clearing (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Due to the high prevalence of pharynlaryngeal diseases and voice disorders among basic education teachers, throat and voice health education-related activities should be conducted for teachers to intervene in the occurrence of pharynlaryngeal diseases and voice disorders at an early stage.

School inspections and headteachers' mental health

Media attention has highlighted the risk of suicides among headteachers whose schools were downgraded by school inspectors. The authors emphasize the wider problem of mental ill-health among teachers. They argue that more should be done to protect and promote teachers’ mental health—starting with job-specific stress risk assessments. They also argue for a comprehensive review to understand and address the broad factors that place teachers and headteachers at increased risk of mental ill-health.

Exploring the relationship between teacher growth mindset, grit, mindfulness, and EFL teachers' well-being

Introduction

This study examines the relationship between teacher growth mindset, mindfulness, grit, and teacher well-being, with a particular emphasis on the mediating role of grit.

Methods

The study involved 547 Chinese EFL teachers as participants. Data collection utilized validated measures of growth mindset, mindfulness, grit, and occupational well-being. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the data and investigate the proposed relationships.

Results

The findings reveal several important relationships. Firstly, both teacher growth mindset and teacher grit exhibit a direct positive influence on teacher well-being. Secondly, teacher grit acts as a mediator in the connection between teacher mindfulness and teacher occupational well-being. This suggests that the positive impact of mindfulness on well-being is, in part, explained by the presence of grit.

Discussion

These findings significantly contribute to our comprehension of the factors influencing teacher well-being. They underscore the importance of cultivating growth mindset, mindfulness, and grit in educational contexts. Moreover, the implications of these findings for teacher training and support programs are discussed.

Burnout Syndrome and Sleep Quality in Basic Education Teachers in Mexico

Burnout syndrome (BS) is the result of chronic stress in the workplace. Moreover, chronic stress can affect sleep. A unidirectional relationship has been established between burnout and sleep, and it is known that white-collar workers with burnout syndrome have sleep fragmentation and marked daytime sleepiness.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to assess the relationships between burnout and sleep quality in elementary school teachers in Mexico.

METHODS

We collected data from more than 400 teachers who completed tests. Correlation analyses controlled for anxiety and depression, and Poisson logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the relationships of burnout with sleep quality, depression, and anxiety.

RESULTS

There was a significant correlation between burnout syndrome (mainly in the dimension of emotional exhaustion) and sleep disturbances; significant correlations were also observed with other burnout, depression, and anxiety dimensions. The strength of the correlations decreased after controlling for depression and anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS

The symptoms of burnout syndrome in teachers can overlap with sleep disorders, so it is necessary to make a differential diagnosis to differentiate burnout syndrome from depression and anxiety, among others.

A Systematic Review of the Factors That Influence Teachers' Occupational Wellbeing

Teachers belong to a high-demand occupational group and experience work-related challenges and discretely diverse emotional turmoils of varying intensity while teaching and interacting with students. These experiences often result in high stress levels that contribute to burnout and, consequently, a breach of teachers' occupational wellbeing. Promoting positive teacher wellbeing substantially influences teaching quality, with a flow-on effect on student wellbeing and academic development. This literature review utilised a framework to systematically explore the factors that impact the occupational wellbeing of kindergarten, primary, and secondary schoolteachers. Thirty-eight (38) studies from an initial 3766 peer-reviewed articles sourced from various databases (CINAHL, Emcare, PychINFO, Scopus, ERIC, and PsycARTICLES) were utilized for this systematic review. Four major factors were identified, including personal capabilities, socioemotional competence, personal responses to work conditions, and professional relationships. Findings highlight the importance of teachers' occupational wellbeing in dealing with numerous challenges and competing demands, with the need for a high level of self-efficacy for instruction and behavioural management being critically significant. Teachers require adequate organisational support to successfully carry out their roles with stronger resilience and efficient job execution. Teachers also need to have social-emotional competence to be able to create a high-quality classroom environment and a conducive atmosphere that supports healthy teacher-student relationships, reduces stress and increases the occupational wellbeing of teachers. Collaborating with other relevant stakeholders such as parents, colleagues, and a school's leadership team is critical for creating a positive work environment. A good workplace has the potential to contribute to teachers' occupational wellbeing and provide a supportive platform for student learning and engagement. This review clearly points to the beneficial effects of prioritising teachers' occupational wellbeing and its intentional inclusion in the professional development plan of practising teachers. Finally, while primary school teachers and secondary school teachers share many similarities in terms of the challenges they face, there are also some differences in how these challenges impact their wellbeing, and these warrant further investigation.

Vocational-technical teachers' mindfulness: Does it matter for teachers' well-being and motivation?

Teaching in vocational-technical schools can pose many challenges, which can lead to stressful situations as all aspects of instruction and teaching in this domain involve a high level of anxiety and exhaustion. So, the significant issue in this territory is teachers' motivation which plays a crucial role in enhancing the various types of performance, including organizational performance and it is positively related to job performance and accordingly their well-being. Therefore, teachers' motivation and well-being should be taken into consideration in the vocational-technical academic environment and an increasing number of programs have been in quest of fostering these constructs. To this end, there is growing interest in the function of mindfulness which is very efficient in decreasing teachers' stress while increasing their motivation and well-being. Indeed, as a mental characteristic of vocational-technical educators, mindfulness functions as a technique one can employ. This paper tries to examine the possible contribution of vocational-technical teachers' mindfulness to their efficiency with a focus on well-being and motivation. Accordingly, teachers' well-being and motivation have been the subject of studies that seek to shed light on the potential contributors to teachers' careers; yet, few, if any, studies have been carried out on the contribution of mindfulness to motivation and well-being among the teachers working in the vocational-technical setting. As a result, these insights can have implications for the stakeholders involved in the vocational-technical context, including teachers and teacher trainers.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Teachers and Its Possible Risk Factors: A Systematic Review

(1) Objective: The objective was to analyze the development of psychiatric pathologies/burnout syndrome and their possible risk factors in teachers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) Methods: A qualitative systematic review was carried out, according to the PRISMA protocol, in the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases using a combination of the following descriptors [MeSH]: "mental health", "mental disorders'', "covid-19" and "school teachers''. Articles selected were written in English, Portuguese and Spanish, published between November 2019 and December 2022. (3) Results: The most common psychiatric pathologies were generalized anxiety disorders and depression. Burnout syndrome was also quite prevalent. Of the 776 articles identified, 42 were selected after applying the eligibility criteria. Although there is variability among the analyzed studies, the risk factors most correlated with increased morbidity in teachers were: (i) being female; (ii) age below the fifth decade of life; (iii) pre-existence of chronic or psychiatric illnesses before the pandemic; (iv) difficulty in adapting to the distance education model; (v) family/work conflicts; (vi) negative symptoms caused by the pandemic. (4) Conclusions: Therefore, the COVID-19 impact on mental health appears to be more common in female teachers in their fifth decade of life and with pre-existing psychiatric comorbidities. However, prospective studies are needed to better map this situation.

Persönlichkeitsprofile und individueller Umgang mit Stress im Altersgruppenvergleich von ukrainischen (weiblichen) Lehrern

Hintergrund

Lehrer gehören zu den Berufen mit hohen psychoemotionalen Belastungen, denen Persönlichkeitsmerkmale und der individuelle Umgang mit Stress entgegenwirken, um die negativen Beanspruchungsfolgen zu vermeiden. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit bestand in der altersabhängigen Analyse des individuellen Umgangs mit Stresssituationen und ihrer situationsbedingten Persönlichkeitsprofile.

Methodik

Die Stichprobe umfasste 238 ukrainische Lehrer (98,3 % weiblich) im Durchschnittsalter von 43,7 ± 12,55 Jahren. Die Gesamtstichprobe wurde in 2 Altersgruppen AG I (< 45 Jahre) und AG II (≥ 45 Jahre) unterteilt. Es wurden das Differentielle Stress Inventar (DSI-HR) nach Lefèvre und Kubinger sowie das Inventar zur Persönlichkeitsdiagnostik in Situationen (IPS) nach Schaarschmidt und Fischer bewertet.

Ergebnisse

Es fanden sich signifikante Altersgruppenunterschiede in den DSI-Variablen „Stressauslösung“ (p = 0,002), „Stressauslösung durch Alltagsgeschehen“ (p = 0,005), „Stressauslösung durch Interaktion“ (p = 0,001) und „Stressstabilisierung“ (p = 0,005). Dabei sind ältere Lehrer häufiger überbeansprucht (41,2 %) als jüngere (31,3 %). Hier gibt es eine statistisch vergleichbare Verteilung der Altersgruppen innerhalb der vier IPS-Profile.

Diskussion

Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass ältere ukrainische Lehrer sich subjektiv beanspruchter fühlten. Es bedarf einer Implementierung von Gesundheits- und Präventionsmaßnahmen bei alternder, hier überwiegend weiblicher Lehrerschaft, um die Gesundheit der älteren Lehrer der Ukraine langfristig aufrechtzuerhalten. Eine arbeitsmedizinische Vorsorge, wie in Deutschland vorgeschrieben, ist auch an Schulen in der Ukraine zu empfehlen.

Factors influencing teacher wellbeing and burnout in schools: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Teacher's wellbeing and mental health play a pivotal role in learning experiences and educational environment. For a better future, we need thriving teachers with strong wellbeing.

OBJECTIVE

The current scoping literature review aimed to explore the factors fostering wellbeing and causing burnout among school teachers.

METHODS

Applying appropriate search terms to relevant databases for the years 2016-2020 yielded 934 potentially relevant research articles which were further filtered to 102 articles.

RESULTS

The findings of this review suggested that emotion regulation, positive workplace milieu and teacher self-efficacy (feeling successful as a teacher) are important factors fostering teachers' wellbeing whilst negative workplace environment and negative emotions along with feeling marginalized or bullied by coworkers are factors behind teacher burnout. The strengths of this study include a rigorous research design and relational analysis approach.

CONCLUSION

Teacher wellbeing needs a workplace environment with minimum bullying and marginalization. An atmosphere of respect, inclusion, and mutual teacher support is needed to promote wellbeing.

Schoolteachers' well-being: A pilot study from the AVATAR project during COVID-19 school closure

BACKGROUND

Teachers are a category at high risk for co-occurring mental diseases.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose was to assess well-being of schoolteachers and psychological effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

METHOD

Data were collected in April 2021, during the partial re-opening of public schools in Italy, from 838 schoolteachers who complete a battery of psychological tests on a multimedia platform.

RESULTS

In females, school closure increases anxiety (BAI, p < 0.001), depression (BDI-II, p < 0.05), stress-related insomnia (FIRST, p < 0.001), and perceived stress (PSS, p < 0.05). In males, on the contrary, rises perceived health (p < 0.001) and vitality (p < 0.001), also in terms of total score (PWBI p < 0.05). In addition, having a family member with COVID in the past month increased anxiety (BAI, p < 0.05), reduced perceived physical health (PWBI, p < 0.05) and vitality (PWBI, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The main results of this pilot study showed that female teachers had a worse well-being perception with respect to men, in terms of health and vitality and an increase in negative emotional reactivity, that impaired when a family member was affected by COVID. The results emphasize the need to invest in prevention and wellness promotion programs in this professional category.

[Self-rated health and factors related to the work of basic education's teachers in Brazil]

The scope of this article is to analyze the association between teachers' self-rated health and the conditions in which they work in Basic Education schools in Brazil. It involved a cross-sectional study, carried out between 2015 and 2016, representative of Basic Education teachers in the country, the outcome variable of which was self-rated health (SRH). The explanatory variables were the work-related characteristics. To assess the factors associated with SRH, the Proportional Odds Logistic Regression Model was used. The prevalence of poor SRH was 27%. The probability of poor SRH was significantly higher for the group that reported episodes of verbal violence (OR=1.26; 95%CI 1.09-1.44), work pressure (OR=1.18; 95%CI 1, 04-1.33), and a commute to school of more than 50 minutes (OR=1.19; 95%CI 1.03-1.38). The probability of poor SRH was significantly better for those who reported having enough time to complete their tasks (OR=0.77; 95%CI 0.64-0.92), social support (OR=0.79; 95%CI 0.69-0.89) and satisfaction with their workload (OR=0.79; 95%CI 0.69-0.91). Actions on the school environment and organization and improvements in the transport of teachers to work are desirable.

Employee well-being and innovativeness: A multi-level conceptual framework based on citation network analysis and data mining techniques

This study proposes a multilevel conceptual framework for a deeper understanding of the relationship between employee well-being and innovativeness. We overview 49 years of well-being research [1972-2021] and 54 years of research on innovativeness [1967-2021] to uncover 24 dominant themes in well-being and ten primary topics in innovativeness research. Citation network analysis and text semantic similarity were used to develop a conceptual framework featuring 21 components and three levels: individual, organizational, and market. These components consist of constructs, domains, and factors that can influence or be influenced by employee well-being and innovativeness either directly or indirectly. This is the first study to use citation network analysis and data mining techniques to investigate the relationship between employee well-being and innovativeness. This novel framework can aid organizations in identifying more holistic and efficient strategies for fostering innovativeness and enhancing the well-being of their workforce. It can also assist in developing new theories and serve as a roadmap for future research. We discuss the research limitations and theoretical and practical implications and propose three research themes that future studies may address.

Well-Being and Mental Health in Teachers: The Life Impact of COVID-19

The impact of the pandemic on teachers' mental health has also been an important issue. The aim of the study was to analyze the vital impact of COVID-19, spirituality, and the use of social-emotional strategies on teacher well-being, mediated by mental health. The sample was non-random, inviting all teachers in a city North of Chile to participate in the study. The sample consisted of 624 teachers. A total of 74.4% were women and 25.6% were men. The mean age was 44.1 and the standard deviation was 11.9. A total of 56.4% belonged to public schools and 43.6% belonged to subsidized schools. Structural equations were used to analyze the data, finding a mental health mediating effect between the death of a close person, affected areas and family history with life satisfaction. Spirituality and the use of socio-emotional strategies self-applied by the teachers had no direct relationship with their mental health, so their mediating effect in relation to life satisfaction was discarded. Teachers who used social-emotional strategies, as well as those who reported higher levels of spirituality, obtained greater satisfaction with life, both general and specifically. Women had higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress symptomatology, but also higher levels of life satisfaction. The implications are discussed.

A randomized controlled trial in schools aimed at exploring mechanisms of change of a multifaceted implementation strategy for promoting mental health at the workplace

Background

This study will explore implementation mechanisms through which a single implementation strategy and a multifaceted implementation strategy operate to affect the implementation outcome, which is fidelity to the Guideline For The Prevention of Mental Ill Health within schools. The guideline gives recommendations on how workplaces can prevent mental ill health among their personnel by managing social and organizational risks factors in the work environment. Schools are chosen as the setting for the study due to the high prevalence of mental ill health among teachers and other personnel working in schools. The study builds on our previous research, in which we compared the effectiveness of the two strategies on fidelity to the guideline. Small improvements in guideline adherence were observed for the majority of the indicators in the multifaceted strategy group. This study will focus on exploring the underlying mechanisms of change through which the implementation strategies may operate to affect the implementation outcome.

Methods

We will conduct a cluster-randomized-controlled trial among public schools (n=55 schools) in Sweden. Schools are randomized (1:1 ratio) to receive a multifaceted strategy (implementation teams, educational meeting, ongoing training, Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles) or a single strategy (implementation teams, educational meeting). The implementation outcome is fidelity to the guideline. Hypothesized mediators originate from the COM-B model. A mixed-method design will be employed, entailing a qualitative study of implementation process embedded within the cluster-randomized controlled trail examining implementation mechanisms. The methods will be used in a complementary manner to get a full understanding of the implementation mechanisms.

Discussion

This implementation study will provide valuable knowledge on how implementation strategies work (or fail) to affect implementation outcomes. The knowledge gained will aid the selection of effective implementation strategies that fit specific determinants, which is a priority for the field. Despite recent initiatives to advance the understanding of implementation mechanisms, studies testing these mechanisms are still uncommon.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.org dr.nr 2020-01214.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13012-022-01230-7.

Stress, Burnout, Anxiety and Depression among Teachers: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Worldwide, stress and burnout continue to be a problem among teachers, leading to anxiety and depression. Burnout may adversely affect teachers' health and is a risk factor for poor physical and mental well-being. Determining the prevalence and correlates of stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression among teachers is essential for addressing this public health concern.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the extent of the current literature on the prevalence and correlates of stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression among teachers.

METHOD

This scoping review was performed using the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews). Relevant search terms were used to determine the prevalence and correlates of teachers' stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression. Articles were identified using MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online), EMBASE (Excerpta Medica Data Base), APA PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus (Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Scopus Elsevier and ERIC (Education Resources Information Center). The articles were extracted, reviewed, collated, and thematically analyzed, and the results were summarized and reported.

RESULTS

When only clinically meaningful (moderate to severe) psychological conditions among teachers were considered, the prevalence of burnout ranged from 25.12% to 74%, stress ranged from 8.3% to 87.1%, anxiety ranged from 38% to 41.2% and depression ranged from 4% to 77%. The correlates of stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression identified in this review include socio-demographic factors such as sex, age, marital status, and school (organizational) and work-related factors including the years of teaching, class size, job satisfaction, and the subject taught.

CONCLUSION

Teaching is challenging and yet one of the most rewarding professions, but several factors correlate with stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression among teachers. Highlighting these factors is the first step in recognizing the magnitude of the issues encountered by those in the teaching profession. Implementation of a school-based awareness and intervention program is crucial to resolve the early signs of teacher stress and burnout to avoid future deterioration.

Teachers Supporting Teachers: A Social Network Perspective on Collegial Stress Support and Emotional Wellbeing Among Elementary and Middle School Educators

School mental health practitioners and researchers are increasingly concerned about educator job-related stress and its implications for teacher burnout, teaching efficacy, turnover, and student outcomes. Educators’ collegial networks in their schools are natural resources for stress support, yet little is known about the extent to which educators seek support from their colleagues in managing their stress and whether these relationships promote their emotional wellbeing. Utilizing peer nomination and self-report data from 370 educators in 17 elementary and middle schools, we found patterns in whom educators nominated as a source of stress support. Specifically, educators more often nominated colleagues who worked in the same role, grade, and/or subject, and those similar in age and who had similar or more experience. Furthermore, men and educators of color more often nominated same-gender and same-race colleagues, respectively, whereas these trends were not observed for women or White educators. However, the prevalence of these characteristics among colleagues nominated as a source of stress support was not often significantly associated with educators’ stress and burnout. Rather, educators’ level of burnout was positively related to the burnout among those in their stress support networks. In addition, educators’ stress and burnout were positively related to the stress and burnout of their colleagues with whom they spent the most time. These findings highlight how educators’ perceptions of stress and burnout may be shared within their collegial networks and have implications for a role for colleagues in teacher stress-reduction and wellbeing-focused interventions.

Effectiveness of universal school-based mindfulness training compared with normal school provision on teacher mental health and school climate: results of the MYRIAD cluster randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Education is broader than academic teaching. It includes teaching students social-emotional skills both directly and indirectly through a positive school climate.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate if a universal school-based mindfulness training (SBMT) enhances teacher mental health and school climate.

METHODS

The My Resilience in Adolescence parallel group, cluster randomised controlled trial (registration: ISRCTN86619085; funding: Wellcome Trust (WT104908/Z/14/Z, WT107496/Z/15/Z)) recruited 85 schools (679 teachers) delivering social and emotional teaching across the UK. Schools (clusters) were randomised 1:1 to either continue this provision (teaching as usual (TAU)) or include universal SBMT. Data on teacher mental health and school climate were collected at prerandomisation, postpersonal mindfulness and SBMT teacher training, after delivering SBMT to students, and at 1-year follow-up.

FINDING

Schools were recruited in academic years 2016/2017 and 2017/2018. Primary analysis (SBMT: 43 schools/362 teachers; TAU: 41 schools/310 teachers) showed that after delivering SBMT to students, SBMT versus TAU enhanced teachers' mental health (burnout) and school climate. Adjusted standardised mean differences (SBMT minus TAU) were: exhaustion (-0.22; 95% CI -0.38 to -0.05); personal accomplishment (-0.21; -0.41, -0.02); school leadership (0.24; 0.04, 0.44); and respectful climate (0.26; 0.06, 0.47). Effects on burnout were not significant at 1-year follow-up. Effects on school climate were maintained only for respectful climate. No SBMT-related serious adverse events were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

SBMT supports short-term changes in teacher burnout and school climate. Further work is required to explore how best to sustain improvements.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

SBMT has limited effects on teachers' mental and school climate. Innovative approaches to support and preserve teachers' mental health and school climate are needed.

A Systematic Review of Evidence-Based Wellbeing Initiatives for Schoolteachers and Early Childhood Educators

Schoolteacher and early childhood educator wellbeing is associated with their ability to provide high-quality educational experiences to students and children in their care. Given the importance of this topic, this systematic review sought to (1) identify available evidence-based wellbeing initiatives for educators and schoolteachers, (2) appraise the quality of evidence demonstrating the efficacy of these initiatives, and (3) summarise the characteristics of these initiatives. In total, 23 studies on 19 distinct initiatives were identified. Although most initiatives improved schoolteacher wellbeing, the quality of available evidence is modest, especially for early childhood educators. Existing teacher and educator wellbeing initiatives predominantly target individual and not systematic determinants of educator wellbeing, even though wellbeing of these groups is determined by a combination of personal and education setting influences. More research is needed to improve the evidence on teacher and early childhood educator wellbeing initiatives, as well as development of initiatives that aim to change workplace demands and education setting culture.

Teachers’ wellbeing, affects, and burnout during the pandemic in Chile

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact upon teachers across the world. In Chile, the confinement also had a negative effect on teachers’ wellbeing. However, there are no studies assessing teachers' mental health, affect, burnout, or social support during this period. Consequently, our study tested a mediation moderation model with Macro from SPSS in a sample of 635 teachers examining subjective wellbeing with the Pemberton Happiness Index, their emotions using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, their burnout with the Questionnaire for the Evaluation of Burnout Syndrome and their social support with the Social Support Questionnaire-Short Form. The study results suggest that the impact of burnout on teachers' wellbeing is mediated by negative and positive emotions. Additionally, this mediation was moderated by social support levels perceived by teachers. These results confirm the importance of providing additional support to teachers during the Pandemic.

A Consequential Partnership

Abstract. Many studies have focused on the effects of teachers’ well-being on the development of students, in particular their academic achievement. To date, little is known about the association between teachers’ well-being and students’ well-being. In the present study, we analyzed this relationship and examined the mediating role of teacher support using linked data from 2,686 students and 805 teachers from 48 schools in Germany. Multilevel regression analyses showed a relationship between teachers’ emotional exhaustion and students’ subjective health complaints and between teachers’ psychological well-being and students’ satisfaction with school. The latter association was mediated by teacher support as perceived by students. This study extends current knowledge about the relevance of teachers’ well-being to their students’ socio-emotional development and the mechanisms that underlie this association. Implications for promoting of mental health in schools and for future research are discussed.

In the Midst of a Pandemic

Abstract. The COVID-19 pandemic confronted teachers with unprecedented challenges to their well-being. Drawing on theories of teacher well-being and resilience, this qualitative study explores how teachers experience well-being in their work during the pandemic and the resilience process of activating strategies to maintain their well-being. Participants were 26 teachers from Australian primary and secondary schools. While teachers experienced personal stress or anxiety, they consciously adopted a positive outlook and deliberately engaged in various activities to restore their well-being. Relations with students and colleagues were constraints as well as key enablers of well-being. At the organizational level, flexibility and practical resources provided by schools was an enabler reported by all participants. The study is limited as teachers were from one location, but they reflected a range of schools, roles, and experiences. Findings indicate the proactive approach of teachers and the importance of contextual resources in restoring their well-being during the pandemic.

Psychological and Physical Changes Caused by COVID-19 Pandemic in Elementary and Junior High School Teachers: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study aimed to determine psychological and physical differences in elementary and junior high school teachers during COVID-19. This questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 427 teachers in Tokyo, Japan (between 15 and 30 October 2020). The questionnaire explored school type (elementary and middle schools), sex, age, and COVID-19 changes (psychological changes, physical changes, impact on work, and infection control issues perceived to be stressed). Post hoc tests for I cannot concentrate on work at all, found a significant difference for no change–improved and male teacher in elementary school female teacher in junior high school (p = 0.03). Regarding stress situation due to implementation of COVID-19 infection control, there were significant differences for disinfection work by teachers between male teachers in elementary school female teachers in junior high school (p = 0.04) and female teachers in elementary school female teachers in junior high school (p = 0.03). COVID-19 produced differences in psychological and physical changes between male and female teachers in elementary and junior high schools. Some experienced psychological and physical stress, whereas others showed improvement. Given that teachers’ mental health also affects students’ educational quality, it is important to understand and improve teachers’ psychological and physical circumstances and stress.

Chinese English as a Foreign Language Teachers' Wellbeing and Motivation: The Role of Mindfulness

Teaching is a career with great instances of anxiety and exhaustion in all stages of education with particular difficulties associated with the attribute of language instruction. The notion of motivation might be a significant fundamental mechanism since demotivated educators are distressed due to the anxious feature of the instructing career. Moreover, educators’ wellbeing has been demonstrated to have a pivotal function in the path of instruction and learners’ success. On the other hand, to mitigate both motivation and wellbeing among teachers, one of the mental traits in this filed, namely, mindfulness can be effective as it is a technique that link to positive effects when used as an administrative strategy for alleviating stress and concern that bring about motivation and wellbeing. As a result, the purpose of the study is to investigate the predictor role of mindfulness on teachers’ motivation and wellbeing. In this study, 577 teachers (235 males and 342 females) Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers at different colleges, universities, and institutes in 13 provinces among which Jiangsu and Zhejiang province accounted for 26.69%, while other provinces made up 65.86% and 2 municipalities directly under the central government (Beijing and Chongqing; 7.45%). were kindly accepted to participate in the present study, and they answered the three questionnaires, namely, motivation, mindfulness, and wellbeing. The results of the study through a linear regression analysis indicated that teachers’ mindfulness could significantly predict both teachers’ wellbeing and motivation. According to the results, some pedagogical suggestions for the policymakers, educator trainers, materials developers, and language educators are offered. Ultimately, guidance for further studies is proposed to L2 scholars who are interested.

The Impact of Teacher Competence in Online Teaching on Perceived Online Learning Outcomes during the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Moderated-Mediation Model of Teacher Resilience and Age

During the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers had to conduct online classes because of the breakdown of school learning. Teacher competence has a great impact on the students' learning outcomes in online learning. Teacher resilience is also important to help teachers survive and achieve a high level of well-being in emergency situations. Previous studies have explored the protective and risk factors of teacher resilience, among which teacher competence in various aspects is included. In addition, teachers' age differences in competence and resilience have been the focus of past studies. However, few studies have investigated the impact of teacher competence on students' online learning outcomes, the mediating role of teacher resilience, and the moderating effect of age when teachers participate in emergent online teaching. To address the above gap, this study explored teachers' perceptions of students' online learning outcomes and how teacher competence in online teaching and resilience can predict these outcomes. The data of 159,203 participants were collected and subjected to correlation analyses and a moderated-mediation effect test. The results indicated that (1) teacher competence in online teaching was positively related to perceived online learning outcomes; (2) teacher resilience was positively related to the teachers' perceived online learning outcomes; (3) teacher resilience played a partial mediating role between teacher competence in online teaching and perceived online learning outcomes; and (4) teachers' age moderated the direct and indirect relation between teacher competence in online teaching and perceived online learning outcomes. The findings imply that teachers should strengthen their own teaching competence and their resilience before conducting online teaching. In addition, this study proposes intervention strategies to enhance teachers' resilience and well-being through teacher competence cultivation and provides suggestions for different age levels of teachers to develop and train their online teaching competence and resilience in the future.

Depressive symptoms and associated factor among public school teachers in Jimma town, Southwest, Ethiopia 2020: a multi-disciplinary, cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Depression is a common mental disorder and the leading cause of disability globally. Depression has a significant impact on the quality of life, cognition, emotion, and daily functioning and leads individuals to 39% of suicide globally. Previous studies reported that the magnitude of depression is higher among teachers than in the general population. However, little is known in the case of Ethiopia. Therefore this study aimed to assess the magnitude of depressive symptoms and associated factors among public school teachers in Jimma town.

METHODS

A facility-based cross-sectional study using was conducted a multistage random sampling technique. Depressive symptoms were assessed by using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress 21 items scale. The data were entered into Epi Data version 3.1 and analyzed using STATA V 14.2. Variables with p < 0.25 in the bi-variable logistic regression analysis were entered into a multivariable binary logistic regression to identify predictors. A statistically significant association was declared at a p-value < 0.05.

RESULT

The prevalence of depressive symptoms in this study was found to be 44.7% (95% CI: 40-49.3). Moderate and severe level of occupational stress (AOR; 2.63 CI; 1.32, 5.28 and AOR; 4.15 CI; 1.83, 9.45) respectively, having stress, (AOR; 2.40 CI; 1.48, 3.90), having Anxiety symptoms (AOR; 4.43 CI; 2.79, 7.06) and consumption of alcohol (AOR; 2.21 CI; 1.11, 4.37) were identified as a significant predictor for depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

The study revealed that there is a high prevalence of depressive symptoms among participants. Moderate and severe levels of occupational stress, having stress, having anxiety, and consumption of alcohol were factors that are significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Therefore, giving awareness and routine screening of depressive symptoms among teachers is crucial in early detection and management.

A Mixed-Methods Study on Senior High School EFL Teacher Resilience in China

While teacher resilience has gained significant attention in recent years, empirical exploration of this issue is still insufficient, particularly with regard to English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher resilience in China. In this context, this study employed a mixed-methods design to investigate Chinese EFL teacher resilience. Specifically, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC)-EFL Teacher Survey was distributed to 330 Chinese senior high school EFL teachers. Five volunteers in the survey sample participated in semi-structured interviews. The results revealed that resilience in Chinese senior high school EFL teachers was at a moderate to high level, and there was no significant difference in teacher resilience in relation to gender and years of teaching experience, but a small significant difference with teachers' educational background. Possible reasons for interpreting EFL teacher resilience were provided from personal and contextual perspectives. Finally, the implications of these findings were discussed for developing teacher resilience.

Australian teacher stress, well-being, self-efficacy, and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic

The 2020 COVID pandemic radically altered the way in which individuals live and work. For teachers, this entailed a shift in their teaching practice, with large numbers of schools around Australia and the world closing for prolonged periods of time and moving to an "online" format. This required teachers to quickly adapt their teaching practices adding further stress to an already stressful environment. In this article, we examine the relationships between teachers' stress, teachers' self-efficacy, and teachers' well-being during the COVID pandemic. The study presents the results from a quantitative survey undertaken in June and July 2020 with 534 teachers around Australia. While the study found that, overall, most teachers (77.29%) reported that they were not feeling anxious in their teaching role, teachers' responses indicated that they were experiencing high levels of stress and low levels of positive feelings such as joy, positivity, and contentment in their work during the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacting their well-being and self-efficacy.

Teachers’ emotional well-being during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic with long school closures: A large-scale cross-sectional survey in Northern Italy

Objectives

This study aimed to evaluate the magnitude of emotional burden on teaching staff during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in a significantly impacted region. In addition, the correlates of emotional burden were analysed to enable the design of targeted interventions.

Study design

This study was a cross-sectional survey.

Methods

An electronic survey was administered to the teaching staff at public schools and kindergartens in a specific geographical area. Cross-sectional assessments of pandemic-specific variables were performed using the Pandemic Fatigue Scale, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS)-21, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Resilient Coping Scale. DASS-21 results were compared with results from a parallel survey that was representative of the local general population.

Results

In total, 3251 teaching staff members participated in the survey. Teachers showed a higher emotional burden for depression, anxiety and stress than the general population during the pandemic. According to a linear regression model, this burden is correlated with the language in which the questionnaires were answered, mistrust towards institutions, specific SARS-CoV-2 anxiety, past infection with SARS-CoV-2, avoidance of information about the pandemic and pandemic fatigue; emotional burden was negatively correlated with measures for life satisfaction, resilience and team atmosphere. Some independent variables were shown to contribute differentially to the variance of depression, anxiety or stress.

Conclusions

Emotional distress during the pandemic among teachers is higher than in the general population and correlates with variables that could, at least in principle, be targeted for specific interventions.

Schoolteachers with voice handicap are twice as likely to report depressive symptoms

This study aimed to examine the association between voice disorder and depressive symptoms in schoolteachers. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with elementary and secondary schoolteachers. Voice disorders and depressive symptoms were assessed with the Voice Handicap Index-10 and the Beck Depression Inventory-II, respectively. Logistic and linear regressions models were adjusted for confounding variables. In the 389 schoolteachers studied, the prevalence of voice handicap and depressive symptoms was 18.8 and 38.8%, respectively. Voice handicap was associated with depressive symptoms on all models tested. The logistic regression showed an odds ratio of 2.21 (95% confidence interval: 1.19, 4.08; p value < 0.05), while in the linear regression each point increase on the voice disorder scale increased the Beck Depression Inventory-II score by 0.39 points (95% confidence interval: 0.26, 0.54; p value < 0.05). This study showed that teachers of public schools with voice handicap are twice as likely to report depressive symptoms.

Wellbeing in Secondary Education (WISE) Study to Improve the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Teachers: A Complex System Approach to Understanding Intervention Acceptability

Teaching staff report poorer mental health and wellbeing than the general working population. Intervention to address this issue is imperative, as poor wellbeing is associated with burnout, presenteeism, and adverse student mental health outcomes. The Wellbeing in Secondary Education (WISE) intervention is a secondary school-based programme aimed at improving the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and students. There are three components: awareness-raising for staff; a peer support service delivered by staff trained in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA); and Schools and Colleges Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training for teachers. A cluster randomised controlled trial with integrated process and economic evaluation was conducted with 25 secondary schools in the UK (2016-2018). The intervention was largely ineffective in improving teacher mental health and wellbeing. This paper reports process evaluation data on acceptability to help understand this outcome. It adopts a complex systems perspective, exploring how acceptability is a dynamic and contextually contingent concept. Data sources were as follows: interviews with funders (n = 3); interviews with MHFA trainers (n = 6); focus groups with peer supporters (n = 8); interviews with headteachers (n = 12); and focus groups with teachers trained in Schools and Colleges MHFA (n = 7). Results indicated that WISE intervention components were largely acceptable. Initially, the school system was responsive, as it had reached a 'tipping point' and was prepared to address teacher mental health. However, as the intervention interacted with the complexities of the school context, acceptability became more ambiguous. The intervention was seen to be largely inadequate in addressing the structural determinants of teacher mental health and wellbeing (e.g. complex student and staff needs, workload, and system culture). Future teacher mental health interventions need to focus on coupling skills training and support with whole school elements that tackle the systemic drivers of the problem.

Voice Symptoms and Wellbeing in School Teachers in England

INTRODUCTION

Negative psychological factors such as depression and other common mental disorders have been found to be associated with voice problems in teachers. However, there is little research with teachers that investigates the relationship between positive psychological factors such as wellbeing and voice problems. Although negative and positive mental states are on a continuum of psychological health, research suggests negative and positive effects are not necessarily inversely correlated and therefore need to be investigated separately.

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS

To explore the relationship between voice symptoms and wellbeing in teachers working in primary and secondary schools in England. We hypothesise that as wellbeing increases voice symptoms will decrease.

DESIGN

Cross sectional study using a self-administered web-based questionnaire conducted with primary and secondary school teachers in England.

METHODS

The study included 1205 teachers from 608 primary and secondary schools, including state and fee paying, and mainstream and special schools. Voice symptoms were measured using The Voice Symptom Scale and wellbeing was measured using the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. Information was also obtained on health, lifestyle, sociodemographic and environmental factors. Analysis was conducted using a linear multi-level regression model.

RESULTS

A statistically significant relationship between voice symptoms and wellbeing was identified (-0.31 95% CI -0.41, -0.20 P =< 0.001). Other factors found to be statistically significantly associated with voice symptoms were age, sex, gastroesophageal reflux, class size, background noise, speaking louder than normal and respiratory infection. Hours teaching per week, deprivation of school, voice training, teaching subject, smoking status and asthma were not associated with voice symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that there is an association between vocal symptoms and wellbeing. Teachers with higher wellbeing had fewer voice symptoms.

School staff and teachers during the second year of COVID-19: Higher anxiety symptoms, higher psychological distress, and poorer mental health compared to the general population

Background

The aim of this study was to: 1) assess mental health symptoms in Canadian school staff during the second year of the pandemic (Spring 2021) and compare these same outcomes to national representative samples, and 2: examine whether the number of hours of direct contact with students was a significant predictor of anxiety symptoms.

Methods

Online data on anxiety symptoms, psychological distress, overall mental health, and demographic information was collected from 2,305 school staff in the greater Vancouver area between February 3 and June 18, 2021, as part of a seroprevalence study.

Results

School staff reported significantly higher anxiety symptoms than a national representative survey in Spring 2021 and higher exposure contact time with students was significantly associated with anxiety symptoms, in addition to sex and age, but not level of education and ethnicity. School staff also reported poorer mental health and higher levels of psychological distress compared to pre-pandemic population measures.

Limitations

Cross-sectional design, self-report measures.

Conclusions

These results show that priorities to reduce mental health challenges are critical during a public health crisis, not only at the beginning, but also one year later. Ongoing proactive prevention and intervention strategies for school staff are warranted.

Linking Emotional Intelligence to Mental Health in Chinese High School Teachers: The Mediating Role of Perceived Organizational Justice

Compare with other professions, teachers are reported to have a higher risk of poor mental health. This study examined the relationships between emotional intelligence, perceived organizational justice, and mental health among Chinese high school teachers. Three hundred and eighty-one high school teachers, with their age range between 21 and 50 years, were administered the Emotional Intelligence Scale, Perceived Organizational Justice Scale, and Mental Health Scale. The result found that emotional intelligence and perceived organizational justice directly influence the mental health of high school teachers. In addition, perceived organizational justice mediated the association between emotional intelligence and mental health. Moreover, the present study analyzes the different role of subtypes of perceived organizational justice on the relationships between emotional intelligence and mental health, and the results showed that the mediating effects of perceived distributive justice and interactive justice on emotional intelligence and mental health are not significant, only the perceived procedural justice mediated the relationships between emotional intelligence and teachers' mental health. The results are discussed in a conceptual context.

Teachers "Finding Peace in a Frantic World": An Experimental Study of Self-Taught and Instructor-Led Mindfulness Program Formats on Acceptability, Effectiveness, and Mechanisms

Mindfulness training (MT) is considered appropriate for school teachers and enhances well-being. Most research has investigated the efficacy of instructor-led MT. However, little is known about the benefits of using self-taught formats, nor what the key mechanisms of change are that contribute to enhanced teacher well-being. This study compared instructor-led and self-taught MT based on a book (Williams & Penman, 2011) in a sample of secondary school teachers. We assessed expectancy, the degree to which participants believed the intervention was effective, their program engagement, well-being and psychological distress, and evaluated whether mindfulness and self-compassion skills acted as mediators of outcomes. In total, 206 teachers from 43 schools were randomized by school to an instructor-led or self-taught course—77% female, mean age 39 years (SD = 9.0). Both MT formats showed similar rates of participant expectancy and engagement, but the instructor-led arm was perceived as more credible. Using linear mixed-effects models, we found the self-taught arm showed significant pre-post improvements in self-compassion and well-being, while the instructor-led arm showed such improvements in mindfulness, self-compassion, well-being, perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout. Changes over time significantly differed between the groups in all these outcomes, favoring the instructor-led arm. The instructor-led arm, compared with the self-taught, indirectly improved teacher outcomes by enhancing mindfulness and self-compassion as mediating factors. Mindfulness practice frequency had indirect effects on teacher outcomes through mindfulness in both self-taught and instructor-led arms. Our results suggest both formats are considered reasonable, but the instructor-led is more effective than the self-taught. Trial registration: ISRCTN18013311.

Mindfulness training enhances teachers’ well-being. This study compared two different mindfulness training formats with a sample of 206 secondary school teachers using an experimental design. Results suggested that teachers’ well-being was increased in both formats of delivery and both generated similar expectancy and engagement with the mindfulness practice; but the instructor-led format appeared to be more credible and effective and was also able to reduce teachers’ stress, anxiety, depressive symptomatology, and burnout. In contrast, the self-taught program might be useful for those teachers who cannot access or commit to an instructor-led program, provided they engage with mindfulness practice. This study suggests two forms for teachers to learn mindfulness, instructor-led and self-taught, as a way to support well-being, each with its own advantages.

Feeling like a million miles away from home? Well-being at work of expatriates in the resources sector in Indonesia

As the world of business becomes increasingly globalised, there is greater mobility of workers internationally. Prior research has found expatriates (and their families) experience work and cultural stressors when living and working in host countries, and the stressors may be greater when working in remote locations. This research explores perceptions of well-being a of expatriates at work in the resources sector, including how social capital impacts on the well-being of expatriates. The research was undertaken in Indonesia and involved semi-structured in-depth interviews with 43 resources sector expatriates, 8 spouses and 7 human resource managers who provided their perceptions of the well-being of expatriates at work. The findings highlight nine aspects of well-being at work for expatriates in the resources sector in Indonesia, including: social aspect, safety/security, benefits and disadvantages, work aspects, job and other attitudes, eudaimonic aspect, work-life balance, affect and external influences. The findings particularly emphasise the importance of safety, work life balances and external (organisational) influences. The research contributes to expatriate, well-being and social capital literature by providing an understanding of well-being at work for expatriates working in non-standard (often remote) workplaces in the resources sector. While the research was undertaken in Indonesia and includes context-specific examples from this developing country, the conceptualisation of well-being at work has broader application for employees working in non-standard workplaces across many sectors and contexts.

Mental health support and training to improve secondary school teachers’ well-being: the WISE cluster RCT

Background

Health and Safety Executive data show that teachers are at heightened risk of mental health difficulties, yet few studies have attempted to address this. Poor teacher mental health may impact on the quality of support provided to young people, who also report increased mental health difficulties themselves.

Objective

To test the effectiveness of an intervention aiming to improve secondary school teachers’ well-being through mental health support and training.

Design

A cluster randomised controlled trial with embedded process and economic evaluations.

Setting

Twenty-five mainstream, non-fee-paying secondary schools in the south-west of England and South Wales, stratified by geographical area and free school meal entitlement, randomly allocated to intervention or control groups following collection of baseline measures (n = 12, intervention; n = 13, control) between May and July 2016.

Participants

All teachers in the study schools at any data collection. All students in year 8 (baseline) and year 10 (final follow-up).

Intervention

Each intervention school received three elements: (1) a 1-day mental health first aid for schools and colleges training session delivered to 8% of all teachers; (2) a 1-hour mental health session delivered to all teachers; and (3) 8% of staff trained in the 2-day standard mental health first aid training course set up a confidential peer support service for colleagues. Control schools continued with usual practice.

Main outcome measures

The primary outcome was teacher well-being (using the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale). Secondary outcomes were teacher depression, absence and presenteeism, and student well-being, mental health difficulties, attendance and attainment. Follow-up was at 12 and 24 months. Data were analysed using intention-to-treat mixed-effects repeated-measures models.

Economic evaluation

A cost–consequence analysis to compare the incremental cost of the intervention against the outcomes measured in the main analysis.

Process evaluation

A mixed-methods study (i.e. qualitative focus groups and interviews, quantitative surveys, checklists and logs) to examine intervention implementation, activation of the mechanisms of change outlined in the logic model, intervention acceptability and the wider context.

Results

All 25 schools remained in the study. A total of 1722 teachers were included in the primary analysis. We found no difference in mean teacher well-being between study arms over the course of follow-up (adjusted mean difference –0.90, 95% confidence interval –2.07 to 0.27). There was also no difference in any of the secondary outcomes (p-values 0.203–0.964 in the fully adjusted models). The average cost of the intervention was £9103 (range £5378.97–12,026.73) per intervention school, with the average cost to Welsh schools being higher because of a different delivery model. The training components were delivered with high fidelity, although target dosage was sometimes missed. The peer support service was delivered with variable fidelity, and reported usage by teachers was low (5.9–6.1%). The intervention had high acceptability, but participants reported low support from senior leadership, and minimal impact on school culture.

Limitations

Participants and the study team were unblinded, self-report for the main outcome measures and inaccurate measurement of peer support service usage.

Conclusions

The Wellbeing in Secondary Education (WISE) intervention was not effective at improving teacher or student well-being, or reducing mental health difficulties, possibly because of contextual barriers preventing it becoming embedded in school life.

Future work

Identification of ways in which to achieve system-level change and sustained support from senior leaders is important for future school-based mental health interventions.

Trial registration

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN95909211.

Funding

This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research programme and will be published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 9, No. 12. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information. Intervention costs were met by Public Health Wales, Public Health England and Bristol City Council.

An intervention to improve teacher well-being support and training to support students in UK high schools (the WISE study): A cluster randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Teachers are at heightened risk of poor mental health and well-being, which is likely to impact on the support they provide to students, and student outcomes. We conducted a cluster randomised controlled trial, to test whether an intervention to improve mental health support and training for high school teachers led to improved mental health and well-being for teachers and students, compared to usual practice. We also conducted a cost evaluation of the intervention.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

The intervention comprised (i) Mental Health First Aid training for teachers to support students; (ii) a mental health awareness session; and (iii) a confidential staff peer support service. In total 25 mainstream, non-fee-paying secondary schools stratified by geographical area and free school meal entitlement were randomly allocated to intervention (n = 12) or control group (n = 13) after collection of baseline measures. We analysed data using mixed-effects repeated measures models in the intention-to-treat population, adjusted for stratification variables, sex, and years of experience. The primary outcome was teacher well-being (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale). Secondary outcomes were teacher depression, absence, and presenteeism, and student well-being, mental health difficulties, attendance, and attainment. Follow-up was at months 12 (T1) and 24 (T2). We collected process data to test the logic model underpinning the intervention, to aid interpretation of the findings. A total of 1,722 teachers were included in the primary analysis. Teacher well-being did not differ between groups at T2 (intervention mean well-being score 47.5, control group mean well-being score 48.4, adjusted mean difference -0.90, 95% CI -2.07 to 0.27, p = 0.130). The only effect on secondary outcomes was higher teacher-reported absence among the intervention group at T2 (intervention group median number of days absent 0, control group median number of days absent 0, ratio of geometric means 1.04, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.09, p = 0.042). Process measures indicated little change in perceived mental health support, quality of relationships, and work-related stress. The average cost of the intervention was £9,103 per school. The study's main limitations were a lack of blinding of research participants and the self-report nature of the outcome measures.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, we observed no improvements to teacher or student mental health following the intervention, possibly due to a lack of impact on key drivers of poor mental health within the school environment. Future research should focus on structural and cultural changes to the school environment, which may be more effective at improving teacher and student mental health and well-being.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

www.isrctn.com ISRCTN95909211.

Personality Type D, Level of Perceived Stress, Insomnia, and Depression Among High School Teachers in Poland

Teaching is inherently connected with specific burdens that may imply stressful situations. The goal of this study was to explore the prevalence of type D (distressed) personality in teachers. This is known to cause depressive episodes and sleep disorders, which not only have direct physical health effects, but can also impact the wellbeing of individuals and hence adversely affect their job performance. The participants consisted of 412 high school teachers from the Silesian Province, located in the south of Poland. Using the following research tools: Type D Scale (DS14), Perceived Stress Scale, Athens Insomnia Scale, and Beck Depression Inventory, it was found that type D personality was observed in a large percentage of teachers (30.1%). It was reported that teachers with distressed personality suffered from insomnia and depression significantly more often. Findings from the current study indicate the need to implement preventive activities focused on reducing psychosocial risk factors in the work environment in order to reduce the frequency of depressive disorders among teachers.

Teachers' Dispositions Toward Mindfulness in EFL/ESL Classrooms in Teacher-Student Interpersonal Relationships

The psychological factors of English as a foreign language (EFL) and English as a second language (ESL) teachers have significant roles in any language learning context. Previous studies in the related literature have shown that L2 learners’ learning, psychological factors, and emotional factors are closely related to teachers’ psychological factors. Mindfulness as one of the psychological attributes of L2 teachers and as a complex and multi-faceted construct influences l2 teachers’ professional development. Hence, this study aims to review the notion of mindfulness and its role in L2 teaching as a profession and pave a way for further research, highlighting its indispensable role in teacher-student relationships. To achieve this goal, this study has reviewed the theoretical perspectives of mindfulness, the construct of mindful L2 teaching education, and mindfulness as a closely related concept to teacher wellbeing. Based on the findings, some pedagogical implications for the policymakers, teacher trainers, materials developers, L2 teachers, and learners are provided. Finally, directions for future research are suggested to the interested L2 researchers.

Mental well-being of the general population: direct and indirect effects of socioeconomic, relational and health factors

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to analyse the association between individual mental well-being and social, economic, lifestyle and health factors.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study on a representative sample of 13,632 participants (> 15y/o) from the Catalan Health Interview Survey 2013-2016 editions. Mental well-being was assessed with the Warwick-Edinburg Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). Linear regressions were fitted to associate well-being and sociodemographic, relational, lifestyle and health variables according to minimally sufficient adjustment sets identified using directed acyclic graphs. Predictors entered the model in blocks of variable types and analysed individually. Direct and total effects were estimated.

RESULTS

Health factors significantly contributed to mental well-being variance. Presence of a mental disorder and self-reported health had the largest effect size (eta2 = 13.4% and 16.3%). The higher individual impact from a variable came from social support (β = - 12.8, SE = 0.48, eta2 = 6.3%). A noticeable effect gradient (eta2 = 4.2%) from low to high mental well-being emerged according to economic difficulties (from β = 1.59, SE = 0.33 for moderate difficulties to β = 6.02 SE = 0.55 for no difficulties). Younger age (β = 5.21, SE = 0.26, eta2 = 3.4%) and being men (β = 1.32, SE = 0.15, eta2 = 0.6%) were associated with better mental well-being. Direct gender effects were negligible.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights health and social support as the most associated factors with individual mental well-being over socioeconomic factors. Interventions and policies aimed to these factors for health promotion would improve population mental well-being.

Psychological Wellbeing, Mindfulness, and Immunity of Teachers in Second or Foreign Language Education: A Theoretical Review

The emotions and affective factors of teachers play quintessential roles in academic contexts as they influence almost all aspects of their profession. T provide a theoretical review of some psychology constructs of teachers in this area, this study examines the psychological wellbeing, mindfulness, and immunity of teachers as three novel variables. More specifically, this study presents the definitions, dimensions, theories, and frameworks related to this domain drawing on positive psychology, complexity/dynamic systems theory, self-organization process, reflexive self-consciousness theory, integrative awareness theories, and mindfulness framework. These theoretical underpinnings explain the constructs and the way they function in second language education. Then, to provide evidence and justify the findings and propositions, empirical studies on each of the variables are reviewed. Finally, implications, research gaps, and suggestions for future inquiries are offered to interested researchers.

A qualitative exploration of post-primary educators' attitudes regarding the promotion of student wellbeing

Purpose: The success of measures aimed at promoting student health and wellbeing is greatly informed by the attitudes and perceptions of the educators assigned to implement these measures. The aim of this study was to examine the attitudes of post-primary educators in Ireland regarding the promotion of student wellbeing.

Method: Semi-structured interviews (n = 11) were conducted with post-primary educators located across the Republic of Ireland. Data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results: Analysis resulted in the interpretation of five themes related to best practice, the value of wellbeing promotion, work-related time constraints, an atheoretical approach to wellbeing promotion and educators’ accounts of their own wellbeing. Participants shared numerous concerns regarding their ability to attend to student wellbeing, principal among which were a lack of appropriate training, work-related time constraints and a potential systematic de-valuing of the wellbeing curriculum relative to the core curriculum.

Conclusion: It is recommended that appropriate accreditation be necessary in order to register to teach any aspect of the wellbeing curriculum, and that a requisite wellbeing-orientated knowledge and skillset be mandatory for all educators in order to register as a post-primary teacher with the teaching council in Ireland.

Digital Technologies—And Teacher Wellbeing?

The concept of teacher wellbeing, the importance of considering teacher wellbeing, concerns for developing digital wellbeing and concerns for using digital technologies to support teaching practices have all been previously studied. The idea that uses of digital technologies can support teacher wellbeing (or not) and ways that uses might do this have not been studied to the same extent. Indeed, it can be argued that this topic requires a complete and focused area of study in its own right. This methodologically focused paper takes an initial step in this direction, exploring existing research and backgrounds to wellbeing, teacher wellbeing, digital wellbeing and uses of digital technologies to support teachers’ practices. The paper reviews conceptions of digital technologies supporting teacher wellbeing and offers a newly developed outline conceptual model and framework for this research field. The framework is tested, identifying influencing factors from evidence presented in a number of existing relevant case studies where digital technologies have been used to support teacher practices. The efficacy of the proposed framework is assessed, and the paper concludes by offering a proposed research instrument and strategy to advance knowledge in this area.

Cognitive-behavioral correlates of pupil control ideology

Teacher’s pupil control ideology is a central feature for the quality of the teacher-student relationship, which, in turn, impacts the teacher’s level of well-being. The pupil control ideology refers to a teacher’s belief system along a continuum from humanistic to custodial views. Teachers with humanistic orientation view students as responsible and, therefore, they exert a lower degree of control to manage students’ classroom behaviors. Teachers with a custodial orientation view students as untrustworthy and, therefore, they exert a higher degree of control to manage students’ classroom behaviors. The relationship between pupil control ideology and dysfunctional beliefs originated from the cognitive-behavioral therapy framework has not been investigated, despite existing evidence suggesting that the pupil control ideology is linked to stress and burnout. One hundred fifty-five teachers completed a set of self-report questionnaires measuring: (i) teacher’s pupil-control ideology; (ii) perfectionistic and hostile automatic thoughts; (iii) irrational beliefs; (iv) unconditional self-acceptance; (v) early maladaptive schemas; and (vi) dimensions of perfectionism. The result suggests that teachers who adopt a custodial view on pupil control ideology endorse more dysfunctional beliefs than teachers who adopt a humanistic view. They tend to present a higher level of perfectionism, unrelenting standards, and problematic relational beliefs, including schemas of mistrust and entitlement. They also present more often other-directed demands and derogation of other thoughts. Such results picture a dysfunctional view on pupils who misbehave, as adversaries who threaten their rigid and/or perfectionistic expectations.

Depressive and anxiety symptoms in early childhood education teachers: Relations to professional well-being and absenteeism

This study investigated how early childhood education teachers' (N = 444) depressive and anxiety symptoms predicted their professional well-being outcomes and absenteeism over the course of one school year in Ghana. Higher anxiety and depressive symptoms predicted lower job motivation and job satisfaction and higher levels of emotional exhaustion at the end of the school year. Increased depressive symptoms were further associated with more days absent over the course of the school year. Findings point to the importance of considering teachers' mental health for early educational quality. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Common health conditions in childhood and adolescence, school absence, and educational attainment: Mendelian randomization study

Good health is positively related to children's educational outcomes, but relationships may not be causal. Demonstrating a causal influence would strongly support childhood and adolescent health as important for education policy. We applied genetic causal inference methods to assess the causal relationship of common health conditions at age 10 (primary/elementary school) and 13 (mid-secondary/mid-high school) with educational attainment at 16 and school absence at 14-16. Participants were 6113 children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Exposures were symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), depression, asthma, migraines and BMI. Genetic liability for these conditions and BMI was indexed by polygenic scores. In non-genetic, multivariate-adjusted models, all health conditions except asthma and migraines were associated with poorer attainment and greater school absence. School absence substantially mediated effects of BMI (39.9% for BMI at 13) and migraines (72.0% at 10), on attainment with more modest mediation for emotional and neurodevelopmental conditions. In genetic models, a unit increase in standardized BMI at 10 predicted a 0.19 S.D. decrease (95% CI: 0.11, 0.28) in attainment at 16, equivalent to around a 1/3 grade lower in all subjects, and 8.7% more school absence (95% CI:1.8%,16.1%). Associations were similar at 13. Genetic liability for ADHD predicted lower attainment but not more absence. Triangulation across multiple approaches supports a causal, negative influence on educational outcomes of BMI and ADHD, but not of ASD, depression, asthma or migraine. Higher BMI in childhood and adolescence may causally impair educational outcomes.

Depression Levels of State Functionaries: Empirical Evidence From China

This study aimed to explore the depression levels of those serving as state functionaries in China. We used data from the 2016 China Labor-force Dynamics Survey and the ordinary least squares model for the regression analysis. The results found: i) The degree of depression of state functionaries was found to be lower than that of other workers; that is, the overall depression index of state functionaries was 1.010 points lower, and the result was significant at the degree of 1%; ii) state functionaries had a lower degree of depression than workers in all other occupation groups; iii) older state functionaries had lower depression than their younger counterparts; iv) the degree of depression of state functionaries in the provinces involved in China's three major urban agglomerations was higher than that of those in other provinces; and v) the degree of depression of female state functionaries was lower than that their male peers. Thus, there is an association between serving as a state functionary in China and depression. State functionaries have lower levels of depression than other working groups. These levels were generally lower but varied according to age, sex, and province.

The Prevalence and Correlative Factors of Depression Among Chinese Teachers During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Background: Epidemiological data on outbreak-associated depression of Chinese teachers are not available. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and correlates of depression among teachers during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in mainland China. Methods: A large cross-sectional online survey was conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak. Depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 25 (CD-RISC 25) and Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) were used to measure the mental resilience and stress of participants. The correlative factors of depression were analyzed. Results: In this study, 1,096 teachers were analyzed with a median (range) age of 41 (20-65) years. Of them, 624 (56.9%) suffered from depression (PHQ-9 total score of >4). The multivariate analyses showed that participants with aged ≥41 years (OR = 0.752, 95% CI:0.578-0.979, p = 0.034), participating in epidemic prevention and control (OR = 1.413, 95% CI:1.070-1.867, p = 0.015), thinking prolonged school closure have bad effect (OR = 1.385, 95% CI:1.017-1.885, p = 0.038), sleep duration/day of <6 h (OR = 1.814, 95% CI:1.240-2.655, p < 0.001), physical exercise duration/day of <30 min (OR = 1.619, 95% CI:1.247-2.103, p < 0.001), spending less time with family (OR = 1.729, 95% CI: 1.063-2.655, p = 0.002), being concerned about COVID-19 (OR = 0.609, 95% CI:0.434-0.856, p = 0.004), having poor mental resilience (OR = 6.570, 95% CI:3.533-12.22, p < 0.001) and higher PSS-10 scores (OR = 9.058, 95% CI:3.817-21.50, p < 0.001) were independently associated with depression. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 outbreak, depression was common among teachers. Age, participating in epidemic prevention and control, opinions toward distant teaching and prolonged school closure, sleep duration/day, physical exercise duration, spending time with family, attitude toward COVID-19, mental resilience and stress represented the independent factors for suffering from depression.