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
Background: The aim of this study was to: 1) assess mental health symptoms in Canadian school staff during the second year of the pandemic (Spring 2021) and compare these same outcomes to national representative samples, and 2: examine whether the number of hours of direct contact with students was...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Affective Disorders Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666915322000282 |
| _version_ | 1828833106759516160 |
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| author | Sarah M. Hutchison Allison Watts Anne Gadermann Eva Oberle Tim F. Oberlander Pascal M. Lavoie Louise C. Mâsse |
| author_facet | Sarah M. Hutchison Allison Watts Anne Gadermann Eva Oberle Tim F. Oberlander Pascal M. Lavoie Louise C. Mâsse |
| author_sort | Sarah M. Hutchison |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: The aim of this study was to: 1) assess mental health symptoms in Canadian school staff during the second year of the pandemic (Spring 2021) and compare these same outcomes to national representative samples, and 2: examine whether the number of hours of direct contact with students was a significant predictor of anxiety symptoms. Methods: Online data on anxiety symptoms, psychological distress, overall mental health, and demographic information was collected from 2,305 school staff in the greater Vancouver area between February 3 and June 18, 2021, as part of a seroprevalence study. Results: School staff reported significantly higher anxiety symptoms than a national representative survey in Spring 2021 and higher exposure contact time with students was significantly associated with anxiety symptoms, in addition to sex and age, but not level of education and ethnicity. School staff also reported poorer mental health and higher levels of psychological distress compared to pre-pandemic population measures. Limitations: Cross-sectional design, self-report measures. Conclusions: These results show that priorities to reduce mental health challenges are critical during a public health crisis, not only at the beginning, but also one year later. Ongoing proactive prevention and intervention strategies for school staff are warranted. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T17:09:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9ee559ce2c124b3ca051e8eff18ebb42 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-9153 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T17:09:44Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Affective Disorders Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-9ee559ce2c124b3ca051e8eff18ebb422022-12-22T00:17:54ZengElsevierJournal of Affective Disorders Reports2666-91532022-04-018100335School staff and teachers during the second year of COVID-19: Higher anxiety symptoms, higher psychological distress, and poorer mental health compared to the general populationSarah M. Hutchison0Allison Watts1Anne Gadermann2Eva Oberle3Tim F. Oberlander4Pascal M. Lavoie5Louise C. Mâsse6British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, CanadaDepartment of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, CanadaSchool of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; The Human Early Learning Partnership, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Centre for Health Evaluation & Outcome Sciences, Providence Health Care Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, CanadaSchool of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; The Human Early Learning Partnership, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, CanadaBritish Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, CanadaBritish Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, CanadaBritish Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Corresponding author at: School of Population and Public Health / BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, F512A-4480 Oak Street, Vancouver, BCV6H 2V3, Canada.Background: The aim of this study was to: 1) assess mental health symptoms in Canadian school staff during the second year of the pandemic (Spring 2021) and compare these same outcomes to national representative samples, and 2: examine whether the number of hours of direct contact with students was a significant predictor of anxiety symptoms. Methods: Online data on anxiety symptoms, psychological distress, overall mental health, and demographic information was collected from 2,305 school staff in the greater Vancouver area between February 3 and June 18, 2021, as part of a seroprevalence study. Results: School staff reported significantly higher anxiety symptoms than a national representative survey in Spring 2021 and higher exposure contact time with students was significantly associated with anxiety symptoms, in addition to sex and age, but not level of education and ethnicity. School staff also reported poorer mental health and higher levels of psychological distress compared to pre-pandemic population measures. Limitations: Cross-sectional design, self-report measures. Conclusions: These results show that priorities to reduce mental health challenges are critical during a public health crisis, not only at the beginning, but also one year later. Ongoing proactive prevention and intervention strategies for school staff are warranted.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666915322000282Mental healthTeachersEducatorsCOVID-19Spring 2021 |
| spellingShingle | Sarah M. Hutchison Allison Watts Anne Gadermann Eva Oberle Tim F. Oberlander Pascal M. Lavoie Louise C. Mâsse 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 Journal of Affective Disorders Reports Mental health Teachers Educators COVID-19 Spring 2021 |
| title | 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 |
| title_full | 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 |
| title_fullStr | 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 |
| title_full_unstemmed | 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 |
| title_short | 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 |
| title_sort | 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 |
| topic | Mental health Teachers Educators COVID-19 Spring 2021 |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666915322000282 |
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