COVID-19 pandemic-related anxiety, stress, and depression among teachers: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: As millions of teachers have been forced to rely upon remote teaching due to the closure of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is particularly important to understand the extent to which teacher's psychological wellbeing has been affected by this global health crisis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis was twofold: 1) ascertain the prevalence of stress, anxiety, depression among teachers during the COVID-19 outbreak; 2) identify the associated factors of these psychological wellbeing domains of the teachers. METHODS: Academic Search Premier, Eric, PsycInfo, Scopus, andWeb of Science were searched for articles published from December 2019 and July 2021, using search terms including COVID-19 anxiety depression stress, and teachers. RESULTS: This study included 54 studies synthesising data from 256,896 teachers across 22 countries. The meta-analysis showed higher prevalence of stress (62.6%, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 46.1-76.6), compared to anxiety (36.3%, 95% CI: 28.5-44.9) and depression (59.9%, 95% CI: 43.4-74.4) among teachers. Teachers' experiences of these psychological issues were associated with various socio-demographic and institutional factors, including gender, nature of online teaching, job satisfaction, teaching experience, and the volume of workload. Additionally, several protective factors, such as regular exercises and provision of technical support for online teaching, reduced teachers' negative psychological experiences. CONCLUSION: There is a need for authorities to formulate educational policies to improve teachers' wellbeing at the time of global crisis. Special attention should be paid to assist female teachers in overcoming physical and mental stressors.

Automated summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the psychological wellbeing of teachers, with high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression reported. These psychological issues are associated with various socio-demographic and institutional factors, and protective factors such as regular exercise and technical support for online teaching can help reduce negative experiences. Policymakers need to prioritize the wellbeing of teachers during global crises, with particular attention to supporting female teachers in overcoming physical and mental stressors.