The mental health of educators is a growing problem in many countries. This study sought to identify self-reported stressful working conditions of elementary schoolteachers and the biopsychosocial consequences of those working conditions and then identify working conditions that promote well-being for teachers in the workplace. Exploratory study was done with 37 teachers. Data collection was performed using a structured interview with a questionnaire. Results show that stressful working conditions are related to inadequate salary, an excessive number of activities, and having to take work home. Biopsychosocial consequences include anxiety, stress, and sleep disorders. There was a statistically significant association between inadequate salary and anxiety (
This paper discusses stressful working conditions of elementary schoolteachers and the elementary schoolteachers’ self-reported biopsychosocial consequences due to stressful working conditions. It also presents working conditions that generate well-being for teachers at school.
Studies evidence the existence of stressful working conditions in different professions. In South Africa, a study with construction workers showed that tight deadlines and long working hours contributed to making work more stressful [
In recent years, stressful working conditions for teachers have increasingly become a problem in many countries [
This concern arises from the fact that teaching is acknowledged as a strenuous activity [
Therefore, this study sought to identify self-reported stressful working conditions of elementary schoolteachers and the biopsychosocial consequences of those working conditions and then identify working conditions that promote well-being for teachers in the workplace.
Exploratory and descriptive study with elementary schoolteachers was conducted in 2012 in a small city (39,685 inhabitants) [
The study subjects were elementary schoolteachers from a city in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The city has 27 state schools and 236 elementary schoolteachers. All teachers were invited to participate in the research. Only 16% of the elementary schoolteachers’ population participated; this means that thirty-seven teachers in 21 public elementary schools participated, characterizing sample convenience. Although this is not a representative sample of the population, it presents tendency of stressful working conditions and the biopsychosocial consequences for the health of elementary schoolteachers.
Table
Demographic and occupational characteristics
Characteristic |
|
Percentage |
---|---|---|
Age (years) | ||
19–29 | 5 | 13.8 |
30–40 | 15 | 41.8 |
41–50 | 11 | 30.6 |
>50 | 5 | 13.8 |
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||
Marital status | ||
Single | 7 | 18.9 |
Married | 27 | 73.0 |
Divorced | 3 | 8.1 |
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Highest educational level attained | ||
Secondary school | 4 | 10.8 |
Higher education, incomplete | 2 | 5.4 |
Higher education | 7 | 18.9 |
Postgraduation, incomplete | 7 | 18.9 |
Postgraduation | 17 | 45.9 |
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Skin color/ethnic background | ||
White | 34 | 91.9 |
Brown | 2 | 5.4 |
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How many schools do you work at? | ||
One | 28 | 75.7 |
Two | 7 | 18.9 |
Three | 2 | 2.6 |
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Time working at the school | ||
<1 year | 3 | 8.1 |
1–5 years | 10 | 27.0 |
5–10 years | 5 | 13.5 |
>10 years | 19 | 51.4 |
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||
Time working as a teacher | ||
<1 years | 1 | 2.8 |
1–5 years | 6 | 16.7 |
5–10 years | 6 | 16.7 |
>10 years | 23 | 63.9 |
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||
Hours spent with students per week | ||
<10 hours | 5 | 13.5 |
10–20 hours | 8 | 21.6 |
20–30 hours | 3 | 8.1 |
30–40 hours | 14 | 37.8 |
>40 hours | 3 | 8.1 |
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Monthly income | ||
Up to U.S. $419 | 2 | 5.7 |
U.S. $419–U.S. $838 | 23 | 65.7 |
U.S. $838–U.S. $1.047 | 10 | 28.6 |
Data collection was performed in June 2012, using a structured interview with a questionnaire including multiple-choice and single-choice questions. The questionnaire was developed by the LAMSA team based on the theoretical foundation of the International Labour Organization [
The questionnaire included multiple-choice and single-choice questions with the following variables: participant characteristics (gender, age, skin color/ethnic background, educational level, and marital status); occupational data (number of schools they work at, length of time at the school, length of time working as a teacher, number of hours per day spent with the students, and salary income); stressful working conditions (room size inadequate for the number of students, inadequate or insufficient working material, noisy school, daily dissension, tension and insecurity, need to take work home, inadequate salary, difficulty maintaining the students concentration in the classroom, lack of recognition, excessive activities, excessive workload, high number of students per classroom, school demands, demands of society in relation to the education of students, and students’ lack of respect); biopsychosocial consequences (use of anxiolytics, physical activity, isolation, irritability, headaches, increased use of cigarettes, anxiety, depression episodes, panic attacks, stress, disorders of the sleep-wake cycle, waking up several times during the night, waking up tired in the morning, and sleepiness); and conditions that promote well-being for teachers in the workplace (harmony among colleagues, working with respect, rapport among colleagues, and autonomy in the workplace).
Simple frequency distribution (absolute numbers and percentages) was used to describe the demographic and occupational characteristics and the frequency of stressful working conditions, health consequences for teachers, and working conditions that promote well-being for teachers in the workplace. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to examine the associations between the five major stressful working conditions and the five major health consequences for teachers. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, Version 19.0, was used.
The five stressful working conditions listed by elementary schoolteachers include inadequate salary (56.8%), inadequate or insufficient work material (54.1%), size of the classroom being inadequate for the number of students (50%), excessive activities (35.1%), and taking work home (32.4%). Other working conditions mentioned by respondents address the difficulty keeping students focused in the classroom, lack of recognition of the profession, noise in the school, excessive workload, school and social demands, and difficulties getting along with colleagues (Table
Frequency of stressful working conditions in the school as self-reported by elementary schoolteachers.
Working conditions |
|
Percentage |
---|---|---|
Inadequate salary |
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|
Inadequate or insufficient work material |
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|
Size of the classroom inadequate for the number of students |
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|
Excessive activities |
|
|
Taking work home |
|
|
Difficulty maintaining the concentration of students in the classroom | 11 | 29.7 |
Lack of recognition | 11 | 29.7 |
Noisy school | 7 | 18.9 |
Excessive workload | 7 | 18.9 |
Society demands in relation to the education of students | 5 | 13.5 |
Daily dissension between colleagues | 2 | 5.4 |
School demands | 2 | 5.4 |
Difficult interactions with colleagues | 1 | 2.7 |
Tension and insecurity in the workplace | 1 | 2.7 |
Regarding the biopsychosocial consequences (Table
Frequency of biopsychosocial consequences for the health of elementary schoolteachers related to stressful working conditions.
Health consequences |
|
Percentage |
---|---|---|
Anxiety |
|
|
Headache |
|
|
Stress |
|
|
Waking up several times during the night |
|
|
Irritability |
|
|
Waking up tired in the morning | 10 | 27.0 |
Circadian rhythm sleep disorder | 8 | 21.6 |
Drowsiness | 8 | 21.6 |
Use of anxiolytics | 7 | 18.9 |
Depression episodes | 7 | 18.9 |
Insomnia | 7 | 18.9 |
Isolation | 4 | 10.8 |
Increase in cigarette use | 1 | 2.7 |
Panic disorder | 1 | 2.7 |
From Pearson correlation, the five most frequent stressful working conditions and health consequences for elementary schoolteachers were examined. There was a statistically significant correlation between two variables (Table
Correlation between the main self-reported working conditions and biopsychosocial consequences for the health of teachers.
Stressful working conditions | Anxiety | Headache | Stress | Waking up several times during the night | Irritability | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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|
|
|
|
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Inadequate salary | −0.06 | 0.72 | −0.16 | 0.32 |
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|
0.13 | 0.43 | −0.02 | 0.89 |
Inadequate or insufficient work material | −0.19 | 0.26 | −0.16 | 0.33 | −0.22 | 0.18 | −0.04 | 0.78 | 0.04 | 0.78 |
Size of the classroom inadequate for the number of students | 0.12 | 0.46 | 0.06 | 0.71 | 0.21 | 0.19 | −0.25 | 0.13 | 0.01 | 0.91 |
Excessive activities |
|
|
0.03 | 0.85 | 0.22 | 0.18 | −0.19 | 0.26 | 0.19 | 0.26 |
Taking work home | 0.08 | 0.63 | 0.12 | 0.46 | −0.19 | 0.24 | 0.15 | 0.35 | 0.17 | 0.30 |
Elementary schoolteachers also reported working conditions that promote well-being at school (Table
Working conditions that promote well-being for teachers at school.
Healthy conditions |
|
Percent |
---|---|---|
Rapport among colleagues | 27 | 73.0 |
Respect among colleagues | 25 | 67.6 |
Harmonious coexistence with colleagues | 22 | 59.5 |
Autonomy in the workplace | 15 | 40.5 |
The results of this study show that major stressful working conditions for elementary schoolteachers in Southern Brazil involve inadequate salary, lack of structure at school (material and physical), excessive activities, and having to take work home. These results are similar to those found in the literature and are related to the biopsychosocial consequences for the health of teachers, such as anxiety, headaches, stress, inadequate sleep, and irritability [
The inadequate salary of teachers in Finland, the main self-reported stressful condition of work by the teachers in this study, was associated with stress and the development of other mental disorders [
Another important stressful working condition for elementary schoolteachers who participated in this study was the lack of structure at the workplace (inadequate or insufficient work material). A study in Greece [
Teachers in Spain identified an excessive number of activities at work as also being a stressful condition, in a study evaluating the association between psychiatric morbidity and working conditions. The study showed that psychiatric morbidity was associated with excessive activities [
A study designed to evaluate the workload of teachers in Germany and their mental health showed that teachers work more than 51 hours per week [
The biopsychosocial consequences for the health of teachers related to stressful working conditions involved anxiety, headaches, stress, waking up several times during the night, and irritability. A study in Hong Kong [
Stress was evaluated in a study of 203 primary schoolteachers in Taiwan [
However, the school environment is not only made of stressful conditions. Teachers reported that rapport among colleagues, respect, harmonious coexistence, and autonomy in the workplace help minimize stressful conditions and thus transform the school into a healthier environment. This is similar to recommendations found in a study conducted in Malaysia regarding the stress of elementary schoolteachers. The study recommends that the school environment promotes good relationships among colleagues and provides adequate resources and facilities to minimize stressful work conditions [
Another limitation is the lack of research in regard to association between stressful working conditions and conditions unrelated to work, such as family support [
Besides these, another important limitation is the lack of male subjects. This is an important factor because it is necessary to consider the prevalence of anxiety disorders, which indeed are more frequent in female persons. This was evident in study within 250 college teachers [
From the results obtained, it was observed that stressful working conditions are related to the consequences for the health of elementary schoolteachers. This profession requires attention due to the different work-related biopsychosocial consequences.
Results show correlations between inadequate salary and anxiety and between number of activities and stress. These correlations show that there needs to be a change in teachers’ working conditions to produce healthy conditions at work.
Investigation by health professionals, anywhere in the world, contributes to planning interventions in this field, improving the work environment and, consequently, the health of teachers. Additionally, the implementation of policies designed to increase the recognition of these professionals by principals, students, and parents, especially in state schools, could help protect the mental health of teachers and contribute to their professional performance and health. This is justified because recognition is not a factor analyzed in the top five of stressful working conditions listed by elementary schoolteachers. The factor lack of recognition was located seventh on the working condition list.
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.