Psychological Well-Being of US Educators Remains a Post-Pandemic Concern: Findings From a Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Background: Educator mental health plays an important role in schools, yet the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic remain unknown. We sought to estimate the prevalence of school employee stress, anxiety, and depression in the 2022-2023 school year within two school districts in the Northeastern United States.

Methods: An electronic survey was distributed to school employees. Stress was assessed with the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale with scores 0-13, 14-26, and 27-40 representing low, moderate, and high stress. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression 10-item scale were used to assess clinically significant anxiety and depressive symptoms, with a cut-point of 10 applied to the total summed score of each scale. We used log-binomial regression models to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results: The majority (76.0%) of the 725 school employees surveyed reported moderate to severe stress with 31.2% and 49.5% reporting clinically significant anxiety or depressive symptoms, respectively. A significantly higher prevalence of anxiety was reported among females (PR = 1.15 (CI: 1.02, 1.30)), instructional staff (PR = 1.15 (CI: 1.02, 1.30)), and employees reporting financial insecurity (PR = 1.18 (CI: 1.10, 1.27)). Likewise, a significantly higher prevalence of depression was reported was reported among women (PR = 1.24; CI (1.00-1.52)), instructional staff (PR = 1.31; CI (1.06-1.62)), and employees reporting financial insecurity (PR = 1.38; CI (1.19-1.60)). Stress, anxiety, and depression were each associated with employees' intention to quit.

Conclusions: The residual effects of the pandemic remain prevalent among school employees. Improving school employees' mental health is crucial for the well-being and retention of educators.