Is teachers' mental health and wellbeing associated with students' mental health and wellbeing?

Student-to-Teacher Victimization and Its Negative Impact on Teaching Approaches: Applying Propensity Score Matching

The negative impact of student-to-teacher victimization on teachers' perceptions of the work environment and their well-being is supported by growing empirical literature. For instance, violence in the classroom can have a negative impact on teachers themselves and hinder teachers from playing crucial roles in students' classroom experiences, resulting in adverse effects on student performance. However, the research field is limited in understanding the adverse effects on teachers' perceptions more directly related to student learning, such as teacher neglect. To fill the gap in the literature, the current study analyzes data from a nationwide sample of 1,054 middle and high school teachers in South Korea where teachers are generally treated with high regard and social status, often exerting a strong influence and authority over students in both an educational and parental way. Specifically, we conduct propensity score matching to investigate potential influences that student-to-teacher victimization can have on the following three outcome variables: teacher neglect, commitment, and pride. Results of mean comparisons after accounting for other confounding factors show that when compared with nonvictims, victims of student-to-teacher victimization are more likely to neglect their students; these victims also tend to exhibit less pride as teachers. Yet, the results also showed no significant statistical difference in teacher commitment. The current findings highlight the importance of developing programs to prevent and intervene in students' aggressive behaviors toward teachers. Particularly, administrators are recommended to consider providing training for teachers, specific to understanding student-to-teacher victimization in order to promote a more positive school environment and better student-to-teacher relationships in classrooms, including improving teachers' job performance.

A systematic review on mental health and its associated factors among educators in Malaysia

BACKGROUND

Mental health is a vital aspect of health and wellbeing that supports our capacity as individuals and as a society to make choices, form bonds with one another, and influence the world we live in. This review aims to identify and synthesize research on mental health and its associated factors among educators in Malaysia. Given the rise in mental health issues among educators, it is crucial to understand the risk factors and develop supportive environments to promote mental well-being. By investigating the causes of poor mental health among educators, this review seeks to provide recommendations based on evidence for future research priorities, policy, and practice, particularly in Malaysia.

METHODS

This systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria. A total of 488 studies were identified from five databases namely Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, and PsycINFO with 30 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. Covidence tool is used for screening and data extraction.

RESULTS

The findings highlighted six major themes as significant predictors of poor mental health among educators in Malaysia were work-family conflict and demands, pandemic impact, work environment, physical health, personality traits, and workload.

CONCLUSIONS

The outcomes of this review support future policy research on academic well-being, aiming to improve work-life balance for educators. Stakeholders can work towards creating a more supportive, productive, and sustainable academic environment in Malaysia.

Autonomy support, peer relations, and teacher-student interactions: implications for psychological well-being in language learning

Introduction

This research explores the intricate interplay among teacher-student relationships, perceived autonomy support, peer relationships, and their collective impact on the psychological well-being of 387 university students enrolled in French language courses across diverse academic institutions in China.

Methods

Employing Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), this study aims to establish the validity and robustness of the proposed model. Data collection involved online surveys utilizing Likert scales and standardized measures to assess variables concerning educational relationships and psychological well-being.

Results

The findings reveal significant associations between teacher-student relationships, autonomy support, positive peer relationships, and psychological well-being. Importantly, analyses demonstrate the influential role of positive peer relationships in mediating the effects of teacher-student relationships and autonomy support on students' psychological well-being.

Discussion

These outcomes emphasize the crucial significance of educational relationships in shaping students' psychological well-being within academic settings. The findings contribute to understanding the nuanced dynamics of educational interactions and their profound implications for student well-being. This highlights the necessity of cultivating positive educational environments for enhanced student mental health.

Prevalence of sickness presenteeism and associated factors among primary school teachers in Gondar city, northwest Ethiopia

Background

Sickness presenteeism, the phenomenon of people going to work despite being ill, is an occupational and psychosocial condition that hurts both the health of workers and organizational productivity. It negatively affects health, increases health-related costs, and the risk of contagious diseases. Primary school teachers are particularly vulnerable to this problem, although little is known about its scope and associated factors. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with sickness presenteeism among school teachers in Northwest Ethiopia.

Methods

An institution-based cross-sectional study was employed and the study period was from April 18 to May 18, 2023. A sample of 633 primary school teachers was recruited using two-stage stratified random sampling. Data were collected using structured self-administered questionnaires. Epi-data version 4.6 and STATA version 14 were used for data entry and analysis, respectively. Binary logistic regression analysis was used. A multivariable logistic regression model with an adjusted odds ratio was fitted for statistical significance.

Results

A total of 603 school teachers participated in this study, with a response rate of 95.26%. The overall prevalence of sickness presenteeism in the last 12 months was 54.7% (N = 330) [95% CI (50.9, 58.7)]. Private school teachers [AOR: 2.21, 95% CI (1.14, 4.28)], low supervisor support [AOR: 1.53, 95% CI (1.06, 2.20)], lack of staff replacement availability [AOR: 2.74, 95% CI (1.85, 4.06)], low colleague support [AOR: 2.17, 95% CI (1.40, 3.37)], unsuitable household conditions [AOR: 1.49, 95% CI (1.08, 2.34)], and strict attendance control [AOR: 2.54, 95% CI (1.67, 3.85)] were factors significantly associated with sickness presenteeism.

Conclusion

The prevalence of sickness presenteeism was relatively high among primary school teachers because of factors such as low support from supervisors and colleagues, strict attendance control, lack of staff replacement, unsuitable household conditions, and private school type. Strategies to promote teachers' health include fostering a culture of support and collaboration among colleagues, recruiting adequate staff, and implementing liberal attendance policies.

Emotion regulation skills as a mediator of STEM teachers' stress, well-being, and burnout

The teaching profession highly stressful, and teachers are often faced with challenging situations. This is particularly the case in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education, which is a uniquely demanding and challenging field. This study examined the role of emotional regulation (ER) skills in STEM teachers' stress, well-being, and burnout. The sample included 165 STEM teachers in middle and high schools who completed standard online questionnaires on ER, stress, well-being, and burnout. They were also asked to comment on three videos depicting authentic mathematical and pedagogical situations. The results indicated that contrary to popular belief, seniority was not linked with levels of stress, difficulties in ER, lower levels of well-being, or higher levels of burnout. A structural equation model and bootstrapping analysis showed teachers' levels of stress predicted their well-being, and this link between stress and well-being was mediated by teachers' level of difficulty in ER. The study highlights the importance of STEM teachers' well-being and suggests the need to reduce stress and burnout by providing tools for teachers to regulate their emotions in the classroom.

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.

Initiatives for promoting educator wellbeing: a Delphi study

BACKGROUND

Growing demands on educators have resulted in increased levels of burnout and stress and decreasing wellbeing. This study aimed to establish expert consensus on the key characteristics required in prospective educator wellbeing initiatives.

METHODS

The Delphi approach is a process of forecasting that is based on the aggregated opinion of panel members (or experts) within a field of study. Using a Delphi approach, academic and practitioner expertise were sought over a two-rounds, with 17 and 14 participants in each round respectively. The study aimed to identify how systemic factors (e.g., leadership) could be utilised to promote educator wellbeing. The study also sought expert consensus on enablers and barriers for engagement in educator wellbeing initiatives.

RESULTS

Findings highlighted the importance of fostering positive relationships with colleagues, communities and families, and the active role of wellbeing teams to promote wellbeing initiatives. The need for leaders to address their own wellbeing and build trust within teams was also identified. Panel members identified the need for prospective funding to prioritise wellbeing initiatives. There was also a preference for ongoing initiatives rather than stand-alone wellbeing events that conveyed the ongoing importance of managing one's wellbeing.

CONCLUSIONS

This paper presents practical recommendations that can be used to inform the development and evaluation of future initiatives and policy. Applying the consensus derived from this study is likely to make wellbeing initiatives more viable and facilitate uptake amongst educators.

Promoting teachers' wellbeing through a serious game intervention: a qualitative exploration of teachers' experiences

Introduction

Teachers' wellbeing plays a critical role in their overall job satisfaction, motivation, and effectiveness in building supporting learning environments. In today's dynamic educational settings, where teachers often face numerous challenges and stressors, their wellbeing becomes increasingly vital. Consequently, there is an urgent need to innovate and develop targeted training interventions that can support specifically the wellbeing of educators.

Methods

This study sought to provide an overview of the "Online Wellbeing Course - OWC," a serious game developed to enhance teachers' wellbeing, and to investigate the participants' feedback after being engaged in the OWC, utilizing a qualitative approach through focus group discussions. A total of 189 in-service teachers took part in the study. To qualitatively explore their experiences with the OWC, participants were involved in focus groups and asked to provide feedback about how and to what extent the course was beneficial for their wellbeing.

Results

Teachers reported enhancements in areas such as emotional competence, self-care strategies, social awareness, relationship skills, decision-making, and school climate.

Discussion

These outcomes suggested the potential of serious games as an innovative training approach for supporting teachers' wellbeing, offering valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and educators.

Primary school teachers are immune: a journey in the sea of psychological well-being, buoyancy, and engagement

The concept of language teacher immunity is a relatively new notion that has been introduced in the field of language teacher psychology. It is imperative that teachers have their inherent immunity strengthened since they have never been intrinsically protected against fluctuations that are unanticipated and beyond their control. In order to achieve this goal, the present research used a quantitative approach in order to investigate the possible effects of teacher immunity on their psychological well-being, buoyancy, and engagement. This study was conducted by sending out three questionnaires to a total of 384 primary language teachers. On the basis of the findings, it was concluded that teacher immunity has the potential to serve as a significant predictor of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' psychological well-being, buoyancy, and engagement. The research's conclusions may have substantial implications for education in terms of advancing psychological well-being, buoyancy, and engagement.

Adolescent loneliness across the world and its relation to school climate, national culture and academic performance

BACKGROUND

Loneliness during adolescence has adverse consequences for mental health, education and employment outcomes. Yet, we know little about common correlates of loneliness among adolescents, making intervention work difficult.

AIMS

In this study, we (1) explore individual-, school- and country-level correlates of loneliness to help identify potential intervention targets, and (2) examine the influence of loneliness on academic performance.

SAMPLE

A total of 518,210 students aged 15 years from 75 countries provided self-reported loneliness data.

RESULTS

Using multilevel modelling, we found individual-, school- and country-level correlates of self-reported school-based loneliness, and showed that loneliness negatively influenced academic performance.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the findings, interventions that focus on enhancing social and emotional skills, increasing trust between teachers and students and changing school climate to be more inclusive are likely to be the most effective for adolescents; they should also be culturally sensitive.

The relationships between teachers' emotional health and stress coping

Introduction

Teaching is a profession that involves challenges to emotional health. Teachers experience high levels of work-related stress, which causes symptoms such as anxiety, depression and burnout. Teachers' mental health affects not only their own well-being, but also the quality of education and student achievement. Coping strategies can effectively improve teachers' emotional health. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between teachers' emotional health and stress coping.

Methods

The sample consisted of 385 teachers from Lithuania, with an average age of 50.2 (±9.62) years and 24.9 (±11.8) years of school experience. The WHO-5, the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6), the Spanish Burnout Inventory, Educational Version (SBI-Ed) and the Coping Strategies Scale were used in the study.

Results

The study results show that teachers' age, seniority, size of residence, and marital status do not affect their emotional health, but their financial situation and hobbies have a positive impact on enthusiasm. Effective coping strategies such as problem solving, exercise, and hobbies improve emotional well-being, whereas negative coping methods such as self-isolation and alcohol consumption lead to psychological distress and lower enthusiasm at work.

Antecedents and components of burnout among Hungarian teachers in a cross-sectional study: Development of the Burnout Antecedents and Components Questionnaire

BACKGROUND

Studies have focused more on the outcome than on the antecedents of burnout. We aimed to develop a new measurement tool for burnout, including the antecedents and different components drawing from theories of the developmental aspect of burnout.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study we tested the Burnout Antecedents and Components Questionnaire on a convenience sample of teachers (n = 618, 83.9 % women; mean age 44.52 years). We used confirmatory factor analyses to test our measurement model. We examined the concurrent validity with the Maslach Burnout Inventory. We also tested construct validity with depression, overcommitment, demographic characteristics and work-related factors.

RESULTS

The confirmatory factor analyses supported our measurement model with seven primary factors (need to prove oneself, overload of tasks, neglecting one's needs, conflict between values, interpersonal conflicts, passivity, and emotional drain) and three second-order factors (excessive effort, conflict, and total depletion). The covariates in the Maslach Burnout Inventory showed that emotional exhaustion had a strong relationship with the first- and second-order factors. Overcommitment showed a stronger relationship with factors at the beginning whereas depression showed a stronger relationship with factors at the end of the process. Demographic characteristics and work-related factors did not show strong associations.

CONCLUSIONS

The Burnout Antecedents and Components Questionnaire is a promising measurement tool with good convergent validity. Future research should further validate our questionnaire for burnout research, prevention, and screening. It adds a new dimension to the measurement of burnout. The approach involving the antecedents in measuring burnout among teachers can guide future research and tailored prevention programs.

The impact of self-efficacy on the well-being of primary school teachers: a Greek-Cypriot study

Introduction

This research was conducted to examine the extent to which teachers' self-efficacy affects their well-being following the COVID-19 pandemic. The originality of the research lies in the fact that there are not enough studies that simultaneously examine the relationship between well-being and self-efficacy in primary school teachers in Greece and Cyprus.

Methods

A total of 258 primary school teacher participants took part in this study, aged 23-62. The Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale and the PERMA Profiler questionnaire were used to study the relationship between teachers' well-being and self-efficacy.

Results

Results show that after the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers' well-being is moderate to high. Moreover, teachers' self- efficacy is also high and related to their well-being.

Discussion

An important finding from the current research is that teachers' self-efficacy in promoting student engagement was the most important predictor for teachers' well-being. The implications of the results are discussed, and recommendations are made.

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.

The Role of Teachers in Addressing Childhood Obesity: A School-Based Approach

Childhood obesity is one of the most prevalent public health challenges in the United States, and although rates are declining overall, rates among children living in underserved neighborhoods are increasing. This five-year intervention project seeks to empower teachers (n = 92) to invest in their own health and then integrate nutrition concepts into core subjects' lessons in elementary schools. The professional development sessions reflect the concepts in the Whole Child, Whole School, Whole Community model. Results indicate that teachers who attended professional development sessions were more likely to implement nutrition lessons in the classroom (r = 0.54, p < 0.01), and students demonstrated a significant increase in nutrition knowledge (p < 0.001, df = 2, F = 9.66). Investing in school-based programs that ensure teacher well-being and professional development can yield positive benefits for both teachers and students.

Testing a mediation model of teacher caring, grit, and student wellbeing in English as a foreign language students

Introduction

This study delves into the influence of perceived teacher caring on the wellbeing of Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students, with a specific focus on the potential mediating effect of grit. With a sample size of 748 EFL students hailing from diverse Chinese universities, we aimed to shed light on the connections between perceived teacher caring, student wellbeing, and the mediating factor of grit.

Methods

To address our research questions, we collected data through self-report questionnaires that gauged perceived teacher caring, student wellbeing, and levels of grit. By utilizing structural equation modeling, we were able to rigorously assess both the direct and indirect impacts of teacher caring on student wellbeing.

Results

Our analysis uncovered a noteworthy and positive correlation between perceived teacher caring and student wellbeing. Furthermore, our findings indicated that grit plays a significant mediating role in this relationship. This suggests that students who exhibit higher levels of grit are more inclined to experience heightened levels of wellbeing.

Discussion

The outcomes of this study underscore the significance of nurturing positive teacher-student relationships within the EFL context. The identification of grit as a mediator emphasizes its role in fostering enhanced student wellbeing. These findings collectively emphasize the intertwined nature of teacher caring, grit, and student wellbeing. Educators should consider these insights for their teaching practices, while researchers can use this study as a foundation for further investigations in this domain.

Using Reappraisal to Improve Outcomes for STEM Teachers and Students

The many stressors associated with teaching can take a toll, resulting in high levels of burnout among teachers and reduced motivation and academic performance among students. This is especially true in the context of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. Despite the efficacy of emotion regulation interventions in pedagogical settings in general and in STEM teaching in particular, there is a lack of suitable interventions. We applied the process model of emotion regulation to STEM teaching and proposed a framework, STEM-Model of EmotioN regulation: Teachers' Opportunities and Responsibilities (STEM-MENTOR), to elucidate how the high demands of STEM teaching and contextual factors (e.g., culture, reforms, teacher-student interactions) may lead to intensified negative emotions and deficits in executive functioning and emotion regulation implementation. Teacher emotions, in turn, shape students' STEM-related achievements and epistemic emotions. Thus, teachers' emotion regulation skills have pervasive effects on teaching outcomes for both teachers and students. We illustrate how at each level of our framework, steps could be taken to improve teachers' emotional trajectory. Our proposed STEM-MENTOR framework has implications for theoretical understanding and may help to shape future interventions that focus on cognitive-emotional processes in STEM education.

Perspectives of School Leaders on Supporting Learners With Special Education Needs During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Ethic of Care Analysis

The ethic of care is a moral philosophy that has been used to describe and guide the work of educators, especially those working with students with special education needs (SEN). In this study, 36 principals and vice principals from four provinces in Canada were interviewed about their work with students with SEN during the pandemic. Responses were analyzed using the ethic of care framework. Accordingly, responses indicated that principals were particularly aware of, and responsive towards, the wide range of need experienced by students, their families, and school staff. Principals appeared especially concerned about the social needs of their students with SEN, the emotional support needs of the students' families, and the teachers' distress at not being able to meet all the educational needs of their students. Although most principals described the emotional toll of their work during the pandemic, none identified efforts directed towards self-care. This paper considers these findings in regard to motivational displacement as it relates to an ethic of care and calls for a broader consideration of need within education, such that support is extended to students, school staff and school leaders as the most effective means to foster healthy, future-ready schools. Key words: pandemic, principal, inclusive education, ethic of care, mental health.

Understanding and Fostering Mental Health and Well-Being among University Faculty: A Narrative Review

In recent years, there has been increasing recognition of mental health concerns in academia, with stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression being reported among faculty members. The demanding work environment, the need to balance personal and professional duties, and the constant pressure of productivity while navigating multiple tasks of teaching, research, mentorship, professional development, and service all impact the mental health and overall well-being of faculty. Higher education institutions have structurally changed as has the research landscape. These changes as well as faculty-specific and student-specific factors coupled to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic have led to profound effects on the mental health of academics. This paper is a narrative review of the pertinent literature describing faculty mental health and well-being. It summarizes the available evidence on factors influencing faculty mental health and shows the prevalence of anxiety, depression, stress, and burnout among faculty from various academic fields and along the whole academic ladder. Using a suggested framework that collates the efforts of leaders and faculty, the paper concludes by exploring strategies that promote work-life balance among academics and suggesting effective interventions to improve their mental health outcomes.

Mental health knowledge and classroom experiences of school teachers in Aragon, Spain

Background

Research shows that many mental disorders begin in childhood but are sometimes not diagnosed until later years. School-age children spend much of their time in schools and have daily interactions with school teachers.

Aim

Examine school teachers' experiences of mental disorders in school going children and adolescents and their associated mental health training needs.

Method and sample

A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out with teachers in Infant-Primary and Secondary Education-Baccalaureate schools.

Results

A convenience sample of 685 teachers responded to the online survey. Participants worked in both urban and rural areas and in Infant-Primary and Secondary Education-Baccalaureate schools. Over half of participants reported classroom experiences of learner mental disorders such as ADHD, anxiety, conduct disorders or autism. Most participants acknowledged a training need, both in recognition of symptoms of mental disorders and in care resources and processes. However, 80% of respondents reported having not received any training in this regard. Participant preferences for training included face-to-face or hybrid - combined online learning. Participants also considered the management of their own mental health to be deficient, therefore any training should incorporate personal mental health awareness and self-help strategies.

Conclusion

In Aragón (Spain), teachers of children and adolescents with mental disorders, recognize a need for training in the identification of symptoms and other aspects of mental healthcare, such as availability and access to services. Protocols for early identification and referral would promote mentally healthy school environments and reduce stigma which could be a barrier to timely intervention. In addition, any training should include mental health self-care for teachers.

Translation and validation of the WHO-5 General well-being index into native language Quechua of the Peruvian South

To translate and validate the WHO-5 General Well-being Index for the people of the Peruvian South, a cross-sectional instrumental study was carried out with the voluntary participation of 186 people of both sexes between the ages of 18 and 65 years (M = 29.67 years old; SD = 10.94) living in the south region of Peru. The validity evidence was assessed based on the content using Aiken's coefficient V according to the internal structure through a confirmatory factor analysis, and reliability was calculated through Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The expert judgment was favorable for all items (V > 0.70). The unidimensional structure of the scale was confirmed (χ2 = 10.86, df = 5, p = 0.05; RMR = 0.020; GFI = 0.980; CFI = 0.990; TLI = 0.980 y RMSEA = 0.080), and it presents a suitable reliability range (α = > 0.75). This shows that the WHO-5 General Well-being Index for the people of the Peruvian South is a valid and reliable scale.

A model of teacher enthusiasm, teacher self-efficacy, grit, and teacher well-being among English as a foreign language teachers

Introduction

This study aimed to investigate the relationship among teacher enthusiasm and teacher self-efficacy, grit, and teacher psychological well-being among Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers.

Methods

A sample of 553 Chinese EFL teachers completed self-report measures of teacher enthusiasm, teacher self-efficacy, grit, and teacher psychological well-being. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to confirm the validity of the scales, and structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized model.

Results

The results indicated that teacher self-efficacy and grit were positively associated with teacher psychological well-being, providing support for the importance of these teacher characteristics in promoting teacher well-being. Furthermore, teacher enthusiasm was found to have an indirect effect on teacher psychological well-being through the mediation of teacher grit, providing evidence for the importance of teacher motivation and engagement in promoting teacher well-being. The partial mediation model was found to be the best fitting model.

Discussion

These findings have important implications for the development of interventions and programs aimed at promoting teacher well-being in the context of EFL teaching.

"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.

Teachers' perceptions of the barriers to assessment of mental health in schools with implications for educational policy: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Assessment of mental health in schools has garnered increased interest in recent years. Children spend a large proportion of their waking hours in schools. Teachers can act as gatekeepers by playing a key role in identifying children with mental health difficulties in the classroom and making the necessary onward referrals to external services. The prevalence of mental health difficulties, their impact on schooling (and beyond) and the importance of early intervention means that it is incumbent on schools to identify and support potentially affected children.

AIMS

Previous reviews focused on mental health interventions in schools; however, this review focuses on the assessment of mental health in schools and on teachers' perceptions of this, as such a review is still lacking. Therefore, the study fills a gap in the existing literature while also providing new, highly relevant evidence that may inform policy making in this area.

COMPOSITION OF STUDIES INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW

This review included 19 studies. Five studied teachers exclusively at primary/elementary level, and seven focused on secondary level, while six included both primary and secondary teachers. Three studies employed mixed methods, ten were primarily qualitative studies, and five were primarily quantitative.

METHODS

Bronfenbrenner's (The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design, Harvard University Press, 1979) framework, adapted by Harvest (How can EPs best support secondary school staff to work effectively with children and young people who experience social, emotional and mental health difficulties? 2018), which includes the mature version of the theory (Tudge et al., 2009, J. Fam. Theory Rev., 1, 198), was used to analyse the literature.

RESULTS

Results found that lack of training in assessment of mental health and 'role conflict' were key barriers; some teachers attributed this to their lack of knowledge, skills and confidence in the area.

CONCLUSION

Implications for practice and research are discussed in relation to the importance of sustained training both pre-service and in-service.

Occupational well-being of the work community in social and health care education during the COVID-19 pandemic-A cross-sectional study

AIM

To evaluate factors related to the occupational well-being of social and health care educators' work communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study was conducted among social and health care educators in Finland 2020.

METHODS

Data (n = 552) were collected through a questionnaire containing continuous, Likert scale and categorical variables. Descriptive, exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression modelling were used for analysing the data.

RESULTS

Educators regarded their work as meaningful and experienced collegiality. Age and work experience were related to experiences on work community subscales and community occupational well-being. Personal occupational well-being and activities promoting occupational well-being on the community level were most related to experiences of the work community and its well-being. The activities that promote occupational well-being on the work community level should be emphasized.

Covid-19 Effects on Psychological Outcomes: How Do Gender Responses Differ?

The study aims at understanding the relationships between the fear of COVID-19 and perceived stress, wellbeing, and life satisfaction. The study also analyses the role of gender on the relationship of fear of COVID-19 with these study variables. For this, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 1125 participants in India, comprising 638 men and 487 women. Structural equation model was used to analyse the data. It was found that the fear of COVID-19 is positively related to perceived stress and negatively related to wellbeing and life satisfaction. It was also found that, these relationships are stronger among women than among men. The study shows the importance of psychiatric assessment during pandemic times and alerts policy makers and society in general, to take measures for ensuring mental health among people during times of crisis. Future studies can include longitudinal research for a comprehensive understanding of the psychological impacts of the pandemic.

Adolescent Feelings on COVID-19 Distance Learning Support: Associations With Mental Health, Social-Emotional Health, Substance Use, and Delinquency

PURPOSE

School social support is associated with improved adolescent wellbeing. However, positive school relationships were potentially disrupted when schools transitioned to distance learning in 2020 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. This study investigated associations among perceived distance learning school support, mental health, social-emotional wellbeing, substance use, and delinquency among low-income, public high school students.

METHODS

We analyzed longitudinal survey data, collected between June 2020 and June 2021, from 372 students attending five large urban public high schools. Mixed-effects regression models examined associations among changes in distance learning support and changes in mental health, social-emotional wellbeing, substance use, and delinquency, controlling for time, social-demographics, and baseline health.

RESULTS

In this predominantly Latinx (83%) sample, within-person increases in perceived distance learning support were associated with improved mental health, increased grit, increased self-efficacy, and decreased stress. Between-person differences in distance learning support indicated that students reporting greater support had improved mental and social-emotional outcomes. Although there were no within-person associations among distance learning support and hopelessness or delinquency, students with greater distance learning support (between-person) had lower levels of hopelessness and lower odds of engaging in any delinquent behavior. There were no associations between distance learning support and 30-day substance use.

DISCUSSION

School social support, even without students physically on campus, may be critical to adolescent health behaviors and social-emotional outcomes.

"Following the Breath:" A Trauma-Informed Intervention for Educator Wellness in Rural Montana

Given the prevalence of mental health issues for both educators and adolescents in rural Montana, this project is designed to help mitigate the impact of stressors by providing coping strategies linked to improvements in overall mental health outcomes for teachers, which may ultimately lead to improved co-regulation of students and classroom climate. The immediate goal of this pilot study was to measure physical and mental health outcomes of educators resulting from a remotely-delivered trauma-informed yoga intervention. Findings suggest improvements in participants' depression and anxiety levels, trauma symptoms, sleep quality, and non-significant changes in heart rate variability and cortisol levels.

Educators Are Not Alright: Mental Health During COVID-19

Educator mental health sits at the intersection of multiple pressing educational issues. We are among the first to provide estimates of school system employee (SSE) stress, anxiety, and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most participants reported clinically meaningful anxiety and depressive symptoms (77.96% and 53.65%, respectively). Being in the lowest strata of family income was associated with higher stress, a greater likelihood of clinically significant depressive symptoms, and reduced intentions to continue in the same job, portending the current staffing shortages affecting schools. Supporting SSE mental health should become a policy priority.

Educator Perspectives on Mental Health Supports at the Primary Level

During the early years of formal education, young students develop a number of formative academic, motor, behavioral, and socioemotional skills that lay the foundation for future learning. Since student mental health in the early grades predicts academic achievement in later grades, mental health interventions are essential at the primary school level. Not only are teachers expected to provide academic instruction, they are now involved in providing students with mental health services, despite a lack of training to do so. The current study sought to gather the perspectives of 38 primary-level educators to gain understanding about mental health knowledge, current approaches to mitigating mental health challenges, and barriers that prevent them from successfully addressing student mental health issues. Using thematic analysis, three themes developed: (1) Educators indicate supporting primary students' mental health is within their role; (2) Systems-level constraints prevent effective mental health supports; and (3) Staff desire increased mental health resources. Implications for educators and practice are discussed.

Distance learning environment: perspective of Italian primary and secondary teachers during COVID-19 pandemic

School closures because of the COVID-19 emergency forced a rapid transition to distance learning worldwide. In this study, we investigated teachers' experiences with distance learning during the first Italian lockdown. A sample of 270 primary and secondary teachers answered a semi-structured questionnaire administered between April and May 2020. Didactic modalities, students' and teachers' difficulties with distance learning, and teachers' feelings during school closure were investigated through open-ended questions. Content analysis indicated that most teachers adopted both synchronous and asynchronous modalities, which resembled the traditional classroom learning environment. Moreover, technological weaknesses (lack of proper digital equipment and poor digital skills) and lack of interactions appeared to be the main threats to the quality of distance learning. The implementation of distance learning in primary schools emerged as more challenging than in secondary education. Furthermore, most teachers experienced negative feelings during online teaching. However, 13% of the sample reported a sense of resilience and opportunity. Particularly, older teachers reported more resilience compared with younger teachers, indicating the importance of experience in managing stressful teaching events. Overall, findings suggest that-in this novel educational environment-teachers' role has changed significantly, placing strong emphasis on the ability to encourage communication, discussion, and contact with students. Future work should focus on how information and communications technology could sustain meaningful interactions between students and teachers, especially in primary education.

Perceived stress and affective experience in Italian teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic: correlation with coping and emotion regulation strategies

The COVID-19 pandemic has represented a source of stress for teachers by adding new challenges. The objective of this study was to assess the association between emotion regulation and coping strategies, on the one hand, and perceived stress and affective experience on the other among teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 1178 of Italian pre-primary, primary, and secondary school teachers completed an online survey. Three hierarchical linear regression analyses were run to evaluate teachers’ emotion regulation, coping strategies, years of teaching experience, perceived workload, and perceptions about online teaching in predicting their perceived stress and positive and negative affect. The findings showed that cognitive reappraisal and positive attitude were associated with a lower level of perceived stress and negative affect and a higher level of positive affect. Problem orientation strategies were also associated with a higher level of positive affect. By contrast, expressive suppression was correlated with a higher level of perceived stress. Avoidance coping strategies were associated with higher perceived stress and negative affect and a lower level of positive affect. The perceived burden of online teaching was positively related with perceived stress and negative affect. Confidence in using educational technologies predicted lower levels of perceived stress, and previous online teaching experience was positively correlated with positive affect. The findings of this study could be useful for implementing teacher training programmes on emotion regulation and coping strategies to reduce stress and promote positive affect.

Changes in psychological distress among Polish medical university teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Our study aims to update knowledge about psychological distress and its changes in the Polish group of academic medical teachers after two years of a global pandemic. During the coronavirus disease, teachers were challenged to rapidly transition into remote teaching and adapt new assessment and evaluation systems for students, which might have been a completely novel situation that was not addressed before, especially in medical universities in Poland. We conducted a cross-sectional study at Poznan University of Medical Sciences from March to April 2022. The questionnaire included self-reported information on anxiety, stress, and depression. We found that post-pandemic levels of anxiety, stress, and depression have significantly (p<0.001) improved compared to initial levels at the beginning of coronavirus disease. In multivariate models, females had higher odds of improving levels of anxiety (OR  =  0.46; 95% CI  =  -1.58-(-0.03); p  =  0.04), stress (OR  =  0.36; 95% CI  =  -1.83-(-0.22); p  =  0.01), and depression (OR  =  0.0.37; 95% CI  =  -1.58-(-0.12); p  =  0.03). Anxiety, stress, or depression were not significantly associated with years of experience, the number of taught subjects, and weekly teaching hours, but only with the academic work during COVID-19 (Spearman ranxiety = 0.37, rstress = 0.32, rdepression = 0.37, p<0.001). For the virtual learning concerns, 79% of teachers reported that students might engage less; and it was correlated with higher weekly teaching hours (r = 0.19, p<0.05). Even though only 29.8% reported cheating as a concern, it was correlated with a higher number of taught subjects (r = 0.2, p<0.05). Levels of anxiety, stress, and depression have improved as time passed, not affecting teachers' academic performance. Concerns about virtual learning have been raised, suggesting it may be conjoined with classroom learning but not as an alternative. Universities should highlight the importance of seeking psychological support and provide essential programs to employees. Teachers' coping skills with psychological distress should be further studied.

Teachers' Well-Being and Associated Factors during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study in Hong Kong, China

School teachers have faced many challenges due to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and public health-related containment measures. Recent studies have demonstrated high levels of stress and mental health issues among school teachers. To better understand teacher well-being and inform practices to support them in the face of the ongoing pandemic, we aimed to assess perceived stress, well-being and associated factors among school teachers in Hong Kong, China. For this cross-sectional study, we employed a self-reported questionnaire to assess teacher well-being as an indicator of mental health. Drawing on quantitative data obtained from 336 teachers in Hong Kong from April 2021 to February 2022, we assessed workloads, work-related sense of coherence, perceived stress, secondary burnout symptoms (i.e. intensification of work and exhaustion related to work situation), self-endangering work behaviours and satisfaction with work. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to examine the associations between well-being, demographic and work characteristics. A high percentage (87.6%) of teachers had high levels of perceived stress, which was positively associated with extensification of work (r = 0.571, p < 0.01), intensification of work (r = 0.640, p < 0.01) and exhaustion related to work situation (r = 0.554, p < 0.01). A multilinear regression model adjusted for age and gender was computed to detect predictors of teachers' well-being index values (F(12, 296) = 41.405, p < 0.001, R² = 0.627). A higher WHO-5 score was associated with (1) higher teaching hours (B = 0.235, 95% CI = 0.093, 0.413, p = 0.002); (2) higher work-related sense of coherence (B = 2.490, 95% CI = 0.209, 4.770, p = 0.032); (3) higher work satisfaction (B = 5.410, 95% CI = 2.979, 7.841, p < 0.001); (4) lower level of exhaustion related to work situations (B = -9.677, 95% CI = -12.279, -7.075, p < 0.001); and (5) lower level of psychosomatic complaints (B = -4.167, 95% CI = -6.739, -7.075, p = 0.002). These findings highlight the critical need to allocate more attention and resources to improve the mental health of school teachers in Hong Kong. The findings can also inform the development of psychological and organisational interventions and support mechanisms for teachers during the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and in preparation for future stressful scenarios. Safeguarding the well-being and mental health of teachers is important for improving the quality of teaching and learning environments and the mental health of school students.

Does Domestic Violence Against Women Increase Teacher-Student School Violence? The Mediating Roles of Morbidity and Diminished Workplace Performance

This research reveals how domestic gender violence suffered by female teachers affects teacher-student school violence in the classroom. Based on a representative survey of 1,542 female professors in 95 public schools in the Callao metropolitan region of Peru using variance structural equation modelling, there is a strong positive relation found between both types of violence (β = 0.34), accompanied by the existence of mediating effects of morbidity and diminished workplace performance. These results demonstrate that in order to reduce the incidence of school violence we must not only address violence between educators and students, but also violence suffered by teachers at the hands of their domestic partner.

Occupational burnout among teachers: is it seasonal?

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to compare occupational burnout in two groups of teachers from the district of Bijeljina (Bosnia and Herzegovina) measured with the Serbian version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory survey for workers in human services (MBI-HSS) at the beginning (group 1) and the end of the school year 2018/2019 (group 2) to see if there are seasonal differences. The questionnaire also included standard sociodemographic data and job description (primary and/or secondary school position, length of service, and overtime work). The prevalence of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation was low in both groups. However, emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation scores significantly shifted to higher values between the beginning and the end of the school year. We also found a statistically significant association between emotional exhaustion and overtime and between depersonalisation and work in a secondary school (p<0.05). These findings invite further research of occupational burnout seasonality in schoolteachers, preferably by following up cohorts which would be controlled for sociodemographic and work-related variables.

Teachers' Health: How General, Mental and Functional Health Indicators Compare to Other Employees? A Large French Population-Based Study

Teachers' health is a key factor of any successful education system, but available data are conflicting. To evaluate to what extent teachers' health could be at risk, we used pre-pandemic data from the CONSTANCES population-based French cohort (inclusion phase: 2012-2019) and compared teachers (n = 12,839) included in the cohort with a random subsample selected among all other employees (n = 32,837) on four self-reported health indicators: perceived general health, depressive symptoms (CES-D scale), functional limitations in the last six months, and persistent neck/back troubles (Nordic questionnaire). We further restricted our comparison group to the State employees (n = 3583), who share more occupational similarities with teachers. Lastly, we focused on teachers and evaluated how their health status might differ across teaching levels (primary, secondary, and higher education). As compared to non-teacher employees, and even after adjusting for important demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, and occupational confounders, teachers were less likely to report bad perceived health and depressive symptoms but were more likely to present functional limitations. Trends were similar in the analyses restricted to State employees. Within the teaching population, secondary school teachers were more likely to report depressive symptoms but less frequently declared persistent neck/back troubles than primary school teachers. Our descriptive cross-sectional study based on a probability sampling procedure (secondary use of CONSTANCES inclusion data) did not support the idea that teachers' health in France was particularly at risk in the pre-pandemic period. Both cross-cultural and longitudinal studies are needed to further gain information on the topic of teachers' health around the world and to monitor its evolution over time, particularly during crises impacting the education system such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Back to School: Italian Teachers' Perceptions of the Impact of COVID-19 on Personal and Social Well-Being and Teaching Methods

During the COVID-19 pandemic, continuous closing and reopening of schools may have had an impact on teachers' perception of the risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 and of the effectiveness of health measures introduced to limit the spread of the virus, with consequences on teaching methods and relational bonds within schools. By means of an online survey, we measured: teachers' stress, job-satisfaction, self-efficacy and emotions at work, risk-perception of contracting SARS-CoV-2, perception of effectiveness of health measures, teaching methods and social relationships. Participants were 2446 teachers (2142 women and 304 men) all engaged in the four educational stages. Most of the respondents were aged 50 or older (45%), followed by a group aged 41-50 (31%) and by a group aged <40 (24%). We used path analysis to test the impact that COVID-19 had, according to teachers, on teaching methods (Model 1) and social relationships (Model 2). In both models, teachers' stress was positively directly associated with risk-perception of contracting SARS-CoV-2 (Model 1: β = 0.10; p < 0.001; Model 2: β = 0.09; p < 0.001). Additionally, we found an indirect path between teachers' stress and risk-perception of contracting SARS-CoV-2 on the one hand, and perception of effectiveness of health measures on the other hand (Model 1: β = 0.02; p < 0.001; Model 2: β = 0.02; p < 0.001). These results suggest that, in emergencies, risk perception level, emotional regulation, and teachers' stress levels were all key factors affecting teaching methods and relationship quality in schools.

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.

What Levers to Promote Teachers’ Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond: Lessons Learned from a 2021 Online Study in Six Countries

To highlight effective levers to promote teachers’ wellbeing worldwide, particularly during difficult times such as the COVID-19 pandemic, we investigated work-related factors associated with teacher wellbeing, across borders and cultures. In six countries/territories, we examined the factors that were most consistently and strongly associated with two indicators of wellbeing at work: (i) job satisfaction; and (ii) work/life balance, and three indicators of general wellbeing: (i) subjective health; (ii) mental health; and (iii) life satisfaction. Between May and July 2021, after 18 months of the pandemic, 8000 teachers answered the first edition of the International Barometer of Education Personnel’s Health and Wellbeing (I-BEST): 3646 teachers from France, 2349 from Québec, 1268 from Belgium, 302 from Morocco, 222 from The Gambia, and 215 from Mexico. For each country/territory and each wellbeing indicator, we used a forward stepwise regression procedure to identify important determinants among a carefully selected set of 31 sociodemographic, private, and professional life factors. Aside from healthcare access, the factors most consistently and strongly associated with teacher wellbeing in France, Québec and Belgium (samples whose size were ≥1000) were related to the psychosocial and the organizational dimensions of work, namely: feeling of safety at school, autonomy at work, and the quality of relationships with superiors and quality of relationships with students. In the smaller samples of teachers from the three remaining countries (Morocco, The Gambia and Mexico), exploratory analyses showed that the feeling of safety and autonomy at work were, there too, consistently associated with wellbeing indicators. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the factors most consistently associated with teachers’ wellbeing across countries were related to security and autonomy at work, supporting the importance to consider these aspects in a continuous, structural way at school. Factors associated with teachers’ wellbeing in very different contexts require further cross-cultural study.

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.

Correlation between stress and lifestyle in teachers at some schools in Lima, Peru, during telework in 2020

BACKGROUND: Stress and unhealthy lifestyle are serious problems in public health and education, particularly due to their significant relevance in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVES: To determine the correlation between stress and lifestyle in teachers at some schools in Lima, Peru, during telework in 2020. METHODS: This observational, quantitative, analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted in 217 school teachers from Lima. Lifestyle was measured using the FANTASTIC questionnaire; stress was measured using the Teaching Stress Scale (ED-6), comprised of the anxiety, depression, maladaptive beliefs, work pressure and poor coping dimensions. The Spearman correlation between numerical variables, and the difference of the FANTASTIC score according to the categorical variables, were analyzed with the Mann–Whitney U test or Kruskal–Wallis test, as necessary. Multivariable analysis was done with a multiple linear regression model to find raw and adjusted β (βa). RESULTS: The median of the ED-6 scale was 81 (RI: 64–105). Sixty-four percent of the teachers had a good-excellent lifestyle; 27.2%, regular; and 8.49%, bad-dangerous. The FANTASTIC score had an inverse correlation with ED-6 (βa: –0.16, 95%; CI: –0.20 to –0.12) adjusted for age and cohabitation with children. Likewise, teachers between 40 and 49 years old (βa: 2.89, 95%; CI: 0.17 to 5.62) had a better lifestyle; and teachers who lived with children (βa: –5.48, 95%; CI: –7.89 to –3.06), a worse lifestyle. CONCLUSIONS: As stress increased, the lifestyle quality worsened in teachers at some schools in Lima, Peru, during telework in 2020.

Boosting Student Wellbeing Despite a Pandemic: Positive Psychology Interventions and the Impact of Sleep in the United Arab Emirates

Positive psychology interventions hold great promise as schools around the world look to increase the wellbeing of young people. To reach this aim, a program was developed to generate positive emotions, as well as improve life satisfaction, mental toughness and perceptions of school kindness in 538 expatriate students in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Starting in September 2019, the program included a range of positive psychology interventions such as gratitude, acts of kindness and mental contrasting as examples. Life satisfaction and mental toughness at mid-year were sustained or grew by the end of the year. Positive affect, emotional wellbeing and social wellbeing increased at post-intervention 1, compared to baseline. However, this improvement reverted to baseline levels at post-intervention 2, when data were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Only psychological wellbeing, negative affect, perceptions of control, and school kindness were increased at post-intervention 2. During the lockdown, students moved less, but slept and scrolled more. Those who extended their sleep duration reported greater wellbeing. Boosting wellbeing through the use of positive psychology interventions works – even in a pandemic – and extended sleep duration appears to be a driving factor for this observation.

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.

The COV-ED Survey: exploring the impact of learning and teaching from home on parent/carers' and teachers' mental health and wellbeing during COVID-19 lockdown

BACKGROUND

Following the emergence of COVID-19 in the UK, on March 18^th 2020 the majority of schools in England closed and families and teachers were tasked with providing educational support for children and adolescents within the home environment. Little is known, however, regarding the impact of remote teaching and learning on the mental wellbeing of parents/carers and teaching staff.

METHODS

The Coronavirus Education (COV-ED) online survey explored the practicalities of learning and teaching from home for 329 parents/carers and 117 teachers of 11-15 year old adolescents in England, during June/July 2020, and the associated impact on their mental wellbeing. Participants were recruited through schools and via University of Warwick social media channels. Data was analysed using a series of Multiple Linear and Multivariate Regressions.

RESULTS

Despite coping well with the challenges of remote learning, a third of teachers reported below average mental wellbeing on the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. Multivariate regression revealed that wellbeing was associated with access to resources and confidence to teach from home. Almost half of parents/carers surveyed reported below average wellbeing. Multivariate regression revealed that poor wellbeing was more common in those who were also working from home and who lacked support for their own mental health. Concerns about their child's mental health and lack of access to electronic devices and workspace were also significantly associated with the mental wellbeing of parents/carers.

CONCLUSIONS

Whilst young people's mental health and wellbeing has, and continues to be a national priority, the mental health and wellbeing of the families and teachers supporting them has not previously been explored. Our survey population was of predominantly white British heritage, female and living in the West Midlands UK, therefore, findings should be treated with caution. Findings provide a snapshot of factors that may be of significance to families and schools in supporting the mental wellbeing of those tasked with learning from home. They will help i) increase knowledge and awareness with regard to future support of families and teachers during similar crises; ii) enable the design and development of practical solutions in the delivery of remote teaching and learning; and, iii) help address the mental wellbeing needs of those tasked with supporting adolescents.