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

Teachers' competence: How to protect teachers' mental health from the burden caused by students' private in-class use of technical devices?

The current study investigated how students' private in-class use of technical devices is associated with teachers' mental health. Data of 361 teachers from primary and secondary schools in Germany were assessed via online surveys. The present cross-sectional results show a positive association between burden caused by the students' private in-class use of technical devices and teachers' depression symptoms. Both were negatively linked to teachers' positive mental health (PMH) and teachers' competence in handling students' private in-class use of technical devices. In a moderated mediation analysis, the association between burden and depression symptoms was mediated by PMH. Teachers' competence moderated the link between PMH and depression symptoms. Specifically, the higher the competence, the weaker the relationship between both variables. Thus, the protective effect of teachers' competence could be especially important in persons with low PMH. Competence training in handling students' use of technical devices is discussed as a potential step that could protect teachers' mental health.

Regulatory flexibility and school climate moderate the relationship between stress exposure and depression severity in school educators

School-related stress may impair the mental health and the ability of educators to function at school adaptively. According to the Conservation of Resources (COR) model, coping with stress is affected by internal personal resources and external interpersonal resources. The current study focused on regulatory flexibility as an internal personal resource and school climate as an external interpersonal resource. It tested their moderating role in the relationship between school-related stress exposure and depressive symptoms. 1530 educators participated in the study. The results revealed that school climate and regulatory flexibility play a significant role in determining the severity of depressive symptoms following stress exposure. Specifically, when either school climate and/or regulatory flexibility were low, there was a positive association between school-related stress exposure and depressive symptoms. Hence, greater exposure was associated with increased depressive symptoms. However, when both school climate and regulatory flexibility were higher, there were no associations between stress exposure and symptoms. Therefore, these educators showed significantly lower depressive symptoms independent of their stress exposure. The findings shed light on the importance of both internal and external resources in reducing the aversive effects of school-related stress. The study may pave the way to developing tailored interventions to reduce depressive symptoms and enhance well-being in educators.

Childhood Maltreatment and Adult Work Absenteeism: Work Meaningfulness as a Double-Edged Sword

The adverse impacts of childhood maltreatment (CM) on an individual's health and economic welfare are widely recognized, yet its occupational and organizational effects remain less explored. Employee absenteeism, known as absenteeism, is often a sign of workplace maladjustment and may be linked to a history of CM. Some individuals in the helping professions, who exhibit a strong sense of purpose in their employment and pursue it in demanding environments, are CM survivors. This study investigates whether a heightened sense of meaningfulness in their work is associated with increased absenteeism among this subgroup. We recruited 320 helping professionals from a variety of social and mental health settings, one third of whom reported experiencing CM. As hypothesized, CM was positively correlated with work absenteeism. Furthermore, the relationship between work meaningfulness and absenteeism was moderated by their CM history: among those with CM experiences, greater work meaningfulness was associated with higher absenteeism rates. Our findings highlight the possibility that work meaningfulness may operate as a double-edged sword, and the importance of better understanding the challenges that high-functioning survivors of CM face within organizational contexts.

Does childhood maltreatment influence Chinese preschool education college students' depression and anxiety? Evidence from a latent class analysis

Introduction

Preschool teachers' mental health may be a critical factor in their job performance, which in turn can influence the quality of early childhood education. However, little is known about its development. Childhood maltreatment, as a chronic form of childhood stress, may influence later mental health development. Although large, comprehensive research has been undertaken on childhood maltreatment and mental health, the associations between these two variables need further exploration. This study aims to describe childhood maltreatment based on person-centered approaches in Chinese preschool education college students, and to examine the differences in depression and anxiety within subgroups of childhood maltreatment.

Methods

A total of 1,218 Chinese preschool education college students participated in this study, and the data analysis was based on unconditional and conditional latent class analysis.

Results

The results showed that the participants were divided into 5 profiles: a non-maltreatment profile; a profile of emotional abuse and emotional and physical neglect; a profile of physical neglect; a profile of emotional neglect; and a profile of physical and emotional neglect. Students with multiple subtypes of maltreatment had the highest levels of depression and anxiety.

Discussion

Universities should consider both childhood maltreatment and profiles of childhood maltreatment when training preschool education college students.

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.

Age-Related Differences in Anxiety and Depression Diagnosis among Adults in Puerto Rico during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Residents of Puerto Rico bear a significant burden of mental health disorders, which the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated. However, age-specific data on these disorders during the pandemic in Puerto Rico are scarce. This study evaluated age-related differences in the self-reported diagnosis of depression and anxiety among adults ≥18 years residing in Puerto Rico during the pandemic. An anonymous online survey was administered from December 2020 to February 2021 via Google Forms to measure self-reported sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics and physician-diagnosed mental health disorders. Multivariable logistic regression models were conducted for each self-reported mental health diagnosis after adjusting for sex, education, income, marital status, chronic diseases, and smoking. Out of 1945 adults, 50% were aged 40 years and over. Nearly 24% of responders self-reported an anxiety diagnosis, whereas 15.9% reported depression. Compared to individuals 50 years and over, those 18-29 y, 30-39 y, and 40-49 y had significantly higher odds of an anxiety diagnosis (OR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.34-2.55; OR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.09-2.07; and OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.01-1.87, respectively). However, no association between age and depression diagnosis was found. Despite anxiety and depression being frequent disorders during the pandemic in this sample, younger adults bear a higher burden of anxiety. Further research is needed to allocate appropriate mental health resources during emergencies according to population subgroups.

"I-just-wanna-get-by" hurts teachers and their work: Linking preschool teacher identity to work withdrawals in an emerging economy

Motivation deficit in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has implications for teacher well-being and education outcomes. This study, utilizing the job demand resource (JD-R) theory, explores the role of teacher identity as a motivational resource that antecedes emotional labor strategies - deep acting and surface acting. We further examined the relationship between emotional labor strategies and teacher work withdrawals - presenteeism and lateness, and the intervening role of teacher emotional exhaustion. We tested our theoretical model using 574 preschool teachers in Ghana. We found that teacher identity relates positively to deep acting but negatively to surface acting. And that deep acting relates to work withdrawals negatively whilst surface acting is associated with them positively. Deep acting diminishes work withdrawals because of its capacity to prevent emotional exhaustion, but the mediation role of emotional exhaustion in surface acting and work withdrawal links was non-significant. Our study presents preliminary evidence from an emerging economy on the central role of teacher identity (motivation component) in emotion management in an attempt to reduce emotional strain, thereby lessening negative work behaviors.

Early childhood educators' emotional labor and burnout in an emerging economy: The mediating roles of affective states

The costs and benefits of preschool teachers' emotional labor on the quality of education manifest in how emotional labor relates to well-being. Building on the theoretical foundation of conservation of resources theory (COR), this study explores the influence of emotional labor on burnout and the intervening roles of affective states (i.e., positive and negative affect). Our hypotheses were tested using cross-sectional data from 574 preschool teachers in Ghana. The results suggest that surface acting induces emotional exhaustion whilst diminishing personal accomplishment, but deep acting reduces depersonalization. Further, negative affect mediated surface acting and dimensions of burnout relationships. Also, positive affect mediated surface acting and deep acting, and personal accomplishment links. Theoretical and practical implications as well as directions for further research have been discussed.

Social Vulnerability of Brazilian Metropolitan Schools and Teachers' Absence from Work Due to Vocal and Psychological Symptoms: A Multilevel Analysis

Teachers' voices and psychological symptoms are the main reasons for absence from work. The objectives of this study were: (i) to spatially represent, through a webGIS, the standardized rates of teachers' absences due to voice (outcome 1) and psychological symptoms (outcome 2) in each Brazilian Federative Unit (FU = 26 states plus Federal District) and (ii) to analyze the relationship between each national outcome rate and the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) of the municipality where urban schools are located, adjusted for sex, age, and working conditions. This cross-sectional study comprised 4979 randomly sampled teachers working in basic education urban schools, of which 83.3% are women. The national absence rates were 17.25% for voice symptoms and 14.93% for psychological symptoms. The rates, SVI, and school locations in the 27 FUs are dynamically visualized in webGIS. The multilevel multivariate logistic regression model showed a positive association between voice outcome and high/very high SVI (OR = 1.05 [1.03; 1.07]), whereas psychological symptoms were negatively associated with high/very high SVI (OR = 0.86 [0.85 0.88]) and positively associated with intermediate SVI (OR = 1.15 [1.13; 1.16]), in contrast with low/very low SVI. Being a woman (voice: OR = 1.36 [1.35; 1.38]; psychological: 1.22 [1.21; 1.24]) and working in schools with various precarious conditions (17 variables) increased the odds of being absent due to voice and psychological symptoms. The results confirm the need for investments to improve working conditions in schools.

Perceived Vulnerability to Disease and the Relationship with Teacher Satisfaction in South Africa during COVID-19: The Serial Role of Burnout, Role Conflict, and Ambiguity

Teachers' work roles and responsibilities have changed dramatically because of the COVID-19 pandemic. These unprecedented changes have the potential to generate role stress and burnout and reduce teachers' job satisfaction. This study investigated the serial relationship between perceived vulnerability to disease, role stress, burnout, and teaching satisfaction. It was hypothesised that individuals who perceive themselves to be at high risk of contracting COVID-19 would report high role conflict and ambiguity in the workplace, which would in turn lead to high levels of burnout and low satisfaction with teaching. Participants were schoolteachers (N = 355) who completed the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Questionnaire, the Role Orientation Questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and the Teaching Satisfaction Scale. Path analysis confirmed that perceived vulnerability to disease was associated with role conflict and ambiguity, which was in turn associated with emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and low teaching satisfaction. Teachers who appraised themselves as being more vulnerable to contracting COVID-19 experienced greater role stress, which was associated with high levels of burnout and low teaching satisfaction. This study highlights that threat appraisals related to contracting COVID-19 represent an additional job demand and this needs to be matched by job resources that can facilitate coping.

The Mediating Role of Teacher Identification in the Relationship Between Psychological Distress and Teacher Satisfaction During COVID-19

The current study examines the potential mediating role of professional identification of school teachers in the relationship between psychological distress and teaching satisfaction. Professional identification is the extent to which an individual identifies with a professional group, including the values, beliefs, and commitment the individual has in relation to the professional group. Professional identification has been linked to negative work outcomes, such as job performance and turnover intentions, as well as to adverse mental health outcomes. In the context of education, professional identification is the extent to which teachers identify with the teaching profession. Participants (N = 355) were school teachers in South Africa who completed the Center for Epidemiological Depression Scale, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, the Professional Identification Scale, and the Teaching Satisfaction Scale. Structural equation analysis showed that professional identification plays a fully mediational role in the relationship between psychological distress and teaching satisfaction. Interventions that strengthen teachers' identification with the teaching profession should be considered a priority.

Occupational Well-Being in Beginning Early Childhood Educators of Hong Kong and the Prediction of Job-Related Factors: Variable-Centered and Person-Centered Approaches

The occupational well-being (OWB) of early childhood educators (ECEs) play a crucial role in their job performance, the development of a child, and the operation of early childhood education sectors. OWB of ECEs has been an increasing concern in recent years and this concern might be particularly salient for beginning ECEs given the multiple adaptive changes and challenges they encounter during the transition from training to teaching. However, research on the beginning ECEs' OWB has been scarce. In this study, we employed both variable-centered and person-centered approaches to explore OWB and examined job demands and resources as predictors in 117 Hong Kong beginning ECEs (113 females, M age = 21.71 years). They first reported job demands (i.e., class size, working hours, dealing with children with special education needs) and job resources (i.e., salary and job support) at the end of the first month of the fall semester upon working as in-service teachers. They then reported on four OWB variables (i.e., job satisfaction, work engagement, job stress, and job burnout) at the beginning of the spring semester. Results of the variable-centered analysis revealed that beginning ECEs reported medium or above-medium levels on the positive OWB indicators and medium or below-medium levels on the negative OWB indicators. Regression analysis found that despite some exceptions, job demands and job resources negatively (positively) and positively (negatively) predicted positive (negative) OWB indicators, respectively. Results of person-centered analysis suggested that the complex pattern of different OWB indicators could be categorized into two OWB profiles (medium well-being vs. relatively weak well-being - emotional exhaustion). Results of regression analysis showed that beginning ECEs with higher job demands were less likely, whereas those with more job resources were more likely, to be assigned to the medium well-being profile. These results inform which leverage points could be targeted to enhance a specific OWB indicator and identify who would be in dire need to enhance their OWB at the very beginning of their teaching career.

Early Childhood Teachers of Color in New York City: heightened stress, lower quality of life, declining health, and compromised sleep amidst COVID-19

Stress and well-being are known to influence the quality of teacher-student interactions, teachers' delivery of emotional and instructional support, and the social competence and executive function skills of young learners-dynamics that impact the education and development of young children. Even prior to COVID-19, 46% of teachers reported notably high levels of daily stress. Given the additional stressors associated with the pandemic, this multi-methods study explores the well-being of Latinx, Black, and multiracial early childhood teachers in New York City, where communities of Color have been particularly hard hit by COVID-19. Via an amalgamation of descriptive and interpretive approaches-a survey, time-use diaries, and qualitative interviews-this study documents early childhood teachers' experiences making sense of and negotiating the impacts of intersecting stressors on their stress, health, quality of life, and sleep amidst COVID-19. Survey findings show reduced well-being across measures among the early childhood teachers in the sample, while qualitative findings illustrate the many layers of challenges that teachers of Color faced during the pandemic. Time-use diaries show extremely high demands and long work hours associated with concerning lack of self-care and attention to mental health. Interviews elucidate how stress is layered across environmental, occupational, and racial factors. This study points to the need to attend to the well-being of Black, Latinx, and multiracial early childhood teachers in urban settings during and after COVID-19 recovery.