ERIC Number: EJ1466193
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-May
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0033-3085
EISSN: EISSN-1520-6807
Available Date: 2025-03-05
Risk for Mental Health Distress among PreK-12 Teachers during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Andrew J. Smith1,2; Alicia L. Johnson3; Yasuo Miyazaki4; Marcela C. Weber5,6; Hannah Wright7; Brandon J. Griffin2,5,6; Glen A. Holmes4; Russell T. Jones8
Psychology in the Schools, v62 n5 p1622-1633 2025
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers risked their physical and mental health to continue providing educational services to students. This study examined the prevalence of mental health distress and risk factors among a sample of teachers from the mid-Atlantic United States. PreK-12 educators (N = 1295) completed online cross-sectional quantitative surveys between October 2020 and January 2021. After obtaining descriptive statistics on rates of posttraumatic stress, depression, anxiety, risky alcohol use, and insufficient sleep, logistic regressions were conducted to examine risk factors for screening positive for clinically meaningful distress. The majority of respondents (65%) screened positive for clinically significant mental health distress on at least one condition, with specific prevalence as follows: traumatic stress (51%), depression (36%), anxiety (50%), risky alcohol use (34%), insufficient sleep (56%). Teachers (vs. other school personnel) had a significantly higher chance of screening positive. Greater chances of screening positive for mental health distress was also associated with having an immunocompromising medical condition, teaching remotely, working more hours, and being younger, female, and/or being a racial and ethnic minoritized-identifying educator. K-12 teachers had high risk for mental health distress, increased by risk factors in educational, demographic, and COVID-19 specific dimensions that have implications for policy and intervention.
Descriptors: Elementary School Teachers, Early Childhood Teachers, Secondary School Teachers, Mental Health, COVID-19, Pandemics, Depression (Psychology), Anxiety, Drinking, Sleep, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Teacher Welfare, Teacher Characteristics, Screening Tests
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www-wiley-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Early Childhood Education; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA; 2Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; 3College of Engineering, School of Education, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; 4School of Education, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; 5Center for Mental Healthcare Outcomes Research, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA; 6Department of Psychiatry, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA; 7Department of Psychiatry, Huntsman Mental Health Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; 8Psychology Department, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA