Anxiety, depression, and stress among teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic
Citation: Ozamiz-Etxebarria N, Idoiaga Mondragon N, Bueno-Notivol J, et al. Prevalence of anxiety, depression, and stress among teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A rapid systematic review with meta-analysis. Brain Sciences. 2021;11(9):1172.
Language: Abstract and full text available in EN.
Free to view: Yes.
Funding sources: KideOn Research Group of the Basque Government and the Ministry of Economy, Science and Innovation.
What is this? In this systematic review, the authors searched for cross-sectional studies on the prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress, and burnout among teachers at any level during the COVID-19 pandemic. They limited their searches to articles published between December 2019 and June 2021, but considered publications in any language. The authors included eight studies.
What was found: The prevalences of anxiety, depression, and stress were 17%, 19%, and 30%, respectively. Anxiety was more common among school teachers; whereas stress was reported more often by university teachers. By comparison, the authors noted a contemporaneous meta-analysis that found the prevalences of anxiety, depression, and stress in the general population were 16%, 16%, and 13%.
Implications: The authors of the review stated that it was important to address and reduce the impact of stress, anxiety, and depression among teachers to avoid job losses and improve education quality. The authors also noted the need for additional teachers and increased emotional support for teachers.
Other considerations: The authors of the review discussed their findings in the context of place of residence, occupation, and gender.
This summary was written by Joly Ghanawi, checked by Grace Meng and finalized by William Summerskill.