Impact of classroom-level stressors on psychological distress in teachers

Abstract

Background: Poor mental health is highly prevalent among schoolteachers. Different occupational, contextual, and personal factors have been identified as sources of their psychological distress. Aims: To explore the impact of classroom-level variables on teachers’ mental health over the course of an academic year. Methods: This study included 80 primary schoolteachers and 2075 pupils from the STARS trial conducted in England, which explored the impact of the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management programme. Regression models examined the relationships between classroom-level predictor variables and teachers’ psychological distress, as measured by the Everyday Feeling Questionnaire, at one and nine months into the school 3 year. Predictor variables included: classroom size and demographic composition, amount of teaching assistant support, and pupils’ mental health, as measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Pupil Behaviour Questionnaire. Analyses were adjusted for teacher length of service and trial arm. Results: One month into the school year, fully adjusted analyses showed that having a classroom with a higher proportion of male pupils was associated with worse teacher mental health. Nine months into the school year, fully adjusted analyses indicated an association between teachers’ length of service and mental health, with more experienced teachers reporting worse mental health. Conclusions: Classroom gender balance and teachers’ length of service significantly impact teachers’ mental health, highlighting the importance of considering both classroom-level and teacher-level variables when developing interventions and policies. Additionally, our findings revealed that the effects of these variables vary over the academic year.