Teacher stress and anxiety during COVID-19: An empirical study.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore how returning to teaching during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic impacted teachers' stress and anxiety. Specifically, the study investigated how teachers' anxiety changed during the first month of school. Additionally, the study explored the association of teachers' stress and anxiety and predictor variables for changes in teacher anxiety while teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study included 329 elementary teachers from across the United States who completed a survey during the first week of October 2020. The results found that most teachers saw no change or an increase in anxiety during the first month. Significant predictors of increased teacher anxiety included stress and communication within the school, with virtual instruction teachers having the most increase in anxiety. In comparison, the no change in anxiety group included significant predictors of stress, virtual instruction, and communication within the school. The present study provides applicable information to schools and districts as there is limited empirical research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teachers. Teachers are working as frontline workers during the pandemic; thus, schools and districts need to monitor teacher stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide the necessary support. Impact and ImplicationsThe purpose of this study was to explore how returning to teaching during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic impacted teachers' stress and anxiety. The results explored how teachers' anxiety changed throughout the first month of the 2020-2021 school year, variables related to teacher stress and anxieties, and predictor variables for changes in teacher anxiety. Specifically, a majority of the teachers saw no change or an increase in anxiety during the first month. Significant predictors of increased teacher anxiety included stress and communication, with virtual instruction teachers having the most increase in anxiety. In comparison, the no change in anxiety group included significant predictors of stress, virtual instruction, and communication within the school. The study also found significant associations between stress and anxiety.

School staff and teachers during the second year of COVID-19: Higher anxiety symptoms, higher psychological distress, and poorer mental health compared to the general population

“…In terms of mental health outcomes, 15.7% of school staff also reported poorer mental health outcomes, which was substantially higher than the general population as reported in the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) (7.8%) ( Patten et al, 2014 ). While there are no published studies on the mental health of school staff during the second year of the pandemic using this specific question, our results are consistent with growing evidence of poor mental health in teachers during the first year of the pandemic ( Kim et al, 2021 ; Ozamiz-Etxebarria et al, 2021 ; Pressley et al, 2021 ). Further, even though a systematic review concluded that the pandemic may not have caused a long-lasting mental health crisis in the general population ( Robinson et al, 2021 ), our data show the mental health of school staff was worse than that of the general Canadian population during the second year ( Statistics Canada, 2021 ) and during pre-pandemic time periods ( Patten et al, 2014 ).…”

“…School staff are essential workers that play a vital role in educating children and allowing parents to engage more fully in the workforce and support the economy ( Pressley et al, 2021 ). Schools have been at the center of debates around the risk from COVID-19, particularly during the 2020-2021 academic year when, in many parts of the world, schools re-opened.…”

“…Studies that have examined change in anxiety levels of teachers over time have predominantly focused on teachers who switched to virtual learning and these studies reported mixed results ( Evanoff et al, 2020 ; Li et al, 2020 ; Zhao et al, 2020 ). For example, one study conducted among 329 U.S. elementary teachers, of which only 4% returned to all in-person teaching, reported no change in anxiety symptoms after the first month of teaching in the 2020-2021 academic school year ( Pressley et al, 2021 ). In contrast, a qualitative longitudinal study among 24 school teachers in England interviewed at three time points in 2020 (April, July, and November) found that mental health declined over time, especially among primary (elementary) teachers ( Kim et al, 2021 ).…”

Mental Health of Teachers in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemics

“…The stress caused by the public health measures such as quarantine, isolation, and closures, raises the question of how people will emotionally cope with these new challenges. Certain professions, such as healthcare workers, are at a higher risk of having emotional distress during the pandemic ( 2 ). Another profession that is at higher risk of emotional problems during the pandemic is the teaching profession.…”

Promoting Fair and Just School Environments: Developing Inclusive Youth

“…Third, teachers have experienced significant stress during COVID-19 with an increase in anxiety around virtual instruction and communication with parents (Pressley et al, 2021). Moreover, children's loss of learning academic skills (Engzell et al, 2021) combined with the lack of social interactions has created new obstacles for teachers.…”