Prevalence of depressive symptoms among teachers in the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa.

Abstract

Background: Depression is a significant contributor to the overall burden of mental disorders. The workplace has been identified as a notable source of depression, which includes the school environment. Mental disorders among teachers, especially if undiagnosed and untreated, contribute to compromised teaching and learning outcomes.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms among teachers in the Tshwane Municipality, South Africa.

Setting: Tshwane Municipality, South Africa.

Methods: The Patient Health Questionnaire was used to screen depressive symptoms; a quantitative questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic data; and Stata 14 was used to analyse the data.

Results: Most of the participants (n = 299, 75.13%) were female and married (n = 223, 56.03%), with a mean age of 39.5 years (standard deviation [SD] 12.4). The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 50.25% (n = 200). Being married, teaching Grade 12 and not seeking professional mental help within the previous 6 months were associated with the presence of depressive symptoms (p ≤ 0.05).

Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate a high prevalence of depressive symptoms among teachers in the Tshwane Municipality, highlighting depression as a significant mental health concern within the school environment.

Contribution: This study confirmed the high prevalence of depressive symptoms among both primary and high school teachers and across the three districts of the Tshwane Municipality.