Psychological distress among teaching staff during the COVID-19 pandemic: A transdiagnostic perspective on profiles of risk and resilience

Teaching staff are especially vulnerable to COVID-19-related stress, due to the significant demands they have experienced. Yet, many have shown resilienceegood mental health despite stress exposure. The current study used a person-centered approach to identify distinct profiles according to individual dif-ferences in psychosocial risk and protective factors. Latent Profile Analysis and ANOVAs were employed among 350 Israeli teaching staff during the fourth wave of COVID-19. Two distinct profiles, risk (55%) and resilience (45%) were identified. While groups showed no differences in COVID-19-related stress outcomes, they consistently differed in their psychological reaction to COVID-19 (psychopathology, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction).(c) 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study used a person-centered approach to identify two distinct profiles among Israeli teaching staff during the fourth wave of COVID-19: a risk group (55%) and a resilience group (45%). Despite the significant demands and stress, many teachers showed good mental health. The two groups did not differ in COVID-19-related stress outcomes, but they consistently differed in their psychological reaction to COVID-19 (psychopathology, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction).