Teacher Self-Efficacy and Mental Health—Their Intricate Relation to Professional Resources and Attitudes in an Established Manual-Based Psychological Group Program

Abstract

Introduction: Teaching is considered a mentally challenging occupation. Teacher self-efficacy is a personal resource which buffers the experience of stress and may be important in maintaining mental health. The preventive intervention “Manual-Based Psychological Group Program for Teachers” (MBPGPT) was applied and evaluated state-wide to improve the mental health of teachers. This study aims to investigate the intricate relation between teacher self-efficacy and mental health and their changes in the course of the intervention.Method: Using a single-group pre-/post-design, the relation between teacher self-efficacy and mental health was investigated in 742 teachers. Pre- and post-changes in teacher self-efficacy and their interaction with mental health were examined in a subsample of 171 teachers, who met the conservative inclusion criteria. In ancillary analyses, correlations with underlying changes in work-related behavior and experience patterns were analyzed to better understand the intricate link between teacher self-efficacy and mental health.Results: Teacher self-efficacy showed a significant, moderate correlation with mental health. Self-efficacy was moderately higher after the intervention than before the intervention, but independent of changes in mental health. Teacher self-efficacy was related to work-related psychological resistance and positive emotions. An increase in teacher self-efficacy was accompanied by an improvement in life satisfaction and distancing ability. A decrease in teacher self-efficacy went hand in hand with reduced experience of social support.Discussion: This study confirmed teacher self-efficacy as an important, reliable resource and its correlation with psychological resistance. The absence of a control group limits what causal conclusions can be drawn from the study. Nevertheless, self-efficacy seems to be a worthwhile goal of preventive interventions for teachers and should be promoted due to its wide-ranging implications. Suggestions for further studies and interventions are made.

A Structural Model of Teacher Self-Efficacy, Emotion Regulation, and Psychological Wellbeing Among English Teachers

“…Additionally, teacher self-efficacy was negatively linked to burnout. Examining the association between mental health and teacher self-efficacy among 742 teachers, Von Münchhausen et al (2021) found that teacher self-efficacy and mental health were significantly and moderately correlated. Furthermore, teacher self-efficacy was liked to positive emotions and work-related psychological resistance.…”

“…Teachers’ psychological wellbeing and their social-emotional capacity are reported as key features that foster emotional and social learning activities (e.g., responsiveness, emotional support, and sensitivity) in the class ( Buettner et al, 2016 ). Given that teaching is highly anxiety provoking ( Von Münchhausen et al, 2021 ), teachers are under a lot of work pressure and at risk of poor social-emotional wellbeing. Long-term work stress and anxiety may lead to burnout, which significantly influence teachers’ mental and physical health, and, in turn, impair their students’ mental and physical health ( Fathi et al, 2021 ).…”

Emotional intelligence developing training program’s impact on teachers’ psycho-emotional state

“…Another study [10] has also shown similar results, additionally finding that there is a statistically significant relationship between the level of emotional competences and happiness. A recent study [2] found evident links between emotional traits and mental health, work-related psychological resilience, life satisfaction, distancing ability and experience of social support.…”

“…It is in fact commonly known that teaching is a process followed by daily emotional interactions and is being exposed to various cultural, societal, and social aspects. Scientific literature describes teaching as a mentally challenging occupation [2], demanding and often leading to burnout [1], which is often a consequence of intense work-related stress that becomes chronic. Indeed, emotional exhaustion turned out to be higher among this profession representatives in comparison to other highly emotionally challenging occupations [3].…”

How Do Happiness at Work and Perceived Organizational Support Affect Teachers’ Mental Health Through Job Satisfaction During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

“… 7 Working as a teacher is considered a mentally challenging job as teachers are obliged to manage numerous cultural, social, and community demands from multiple directions, resulting in a high number of daily emotional interactions. 8 In addition, the teaching profession is considered to have a high level of burnout and stress. 9 At the university level, lecturers face high levels of stress, which is thought to be associated with anxiety disorders, hypertension, headaches, psychosomatic disorders, and even heart disease.…”