Depressive Symptoms and Their Associated Factors in Nursery School Teachers: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

BackgroundAlthough nursery school teachers may experience depressive symptoms, there have been few studies exploring the associated factors. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of depression and explore its associated factors in nursery school teachers. MethodsThis cross-sectional study surveyed nursery school teachers in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms as measured by the five-item Mental Health Inventory. We used a logistic regression model to assess the factors. ResultsRespondents were 148 teachers (36%) out of 410 nursery school teachers in 21 nursery schools, and 65 (44%) indicated that they had depressive symptoms. Using the Work Limitation Questionnaire (WLQ), productivity loss score (adjusted risk ratio [ARR], 1.17; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.02 to 1.34) and psychological demands (ARR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.53) were found to be associated with depressive symptoms. ConclusionsThe associated factors with depressive symptoms were high psychological demands and a high degree of presenteeism. Further prospective cohort studies with larger sample sizes should be conducted to confirm these relationships.

Inter-relações entre insatisfação com o trabalho docente e sintomas depressivos: modelagem com equações estruturais

“…O estilo de vida apresentou efeito direto negativo nos SD (β=-0,60), revelando que estilo de vida mais saudável se associou a menor ocorrência de SD. A relação entre problemas de saúde mental, incluindo SD, com o estilo de vida é também reconhecida pela literatura científica [48][49][50] . Entre professores universitários, o estilo de vida aferido pela mesma escala utilizada em nosso estudo, também mostrou associação com níveis de estresse 51 .…”

Interrelationships between dissatisfaction with teaching work and depressive symptoms: Structural equation modelling

“…Lifestyle had a direct negative effect on DSs (β=-0.60), revealing that a healthier lifestyle was associated with a lower occurrence of DSs. The relationship between mental health problems, including DSs, and lifestyle is also recognized in the scientific literature [48][49][50] . Among university professors, lifestyle, as measured using the same scale used in our study, was also associated with stress levels 51 .…”