Mental Health of Preschool Teachers in Japan During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Preschool teachers in Japan often face mental health challenges due to high work stresses, and regulations enforced during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may serve to exacerbate these stressors. This can lead to further degradation of the mental health of preschool teachers. The study aimed to measure how new behaviors and regulations imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic affected the mental health of preschool teachers in Japan. The study surveyed 167 teachers from private Centers for Early Childhood Education and Care (CECEC), kindergartens, and nursery schools using the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). Spearman’s rank-order correlation and multiple regression analyses were conducted to analyze the relationship between various daily life reflections and anxiety and depression of preschool staff. Results indicated that employment worries among preschool teachers were positively associated with anxiety and depression. The factor of symptomatic students not attending school showed a negative relationship with anxiety and depression. The factors of bonding, distancing at meals, face masking, and having someone to talk to did not show significance in anxiety or depression among preschool teachers.