Teachers at risk: Depressive symptoms, emotional intelligence, and burnout during COVID-19.

Background: Previous studies indicated that depressive symptoms are common among teachers due to job stress and difficulty in managing emotions. The aim of this research was to determine the levels of depressive symptomatology in a sample of secondary school teachers who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic and to analyze the relationships with their levels of burnout and emotional intelligence. Methods: The study involved 430 secondary school teachers residing in Madrid (Spain) who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants' age was between 25 and 60 (M = 41.40; SD = 11.07) and the gender distribution was 53.72% men and 46.28% women. We used the Spanish version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Maslach Burnout Inventory Educators Survey (MBI-ES) and the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24). Results: The main results indicated that teachers presented high means of depressive symptomatology, with women obtaining higher scores than men. Significant relationships were also observed between the levels of depressive symptomatology and the dimensions of burnout and emotional intelligence. Finally, the three dimensions of emotional intelligence would contribute to the depressive symptomatology of teachers, while of the burnout dimensions only Emotional Exhaustion would make a contribution. Conclusion: The possible consequences of depressive symptomatology in teachers during the pandemic are discussed, as well as the need to enhance protective factors such as emotional intelligence and to study burnout levels.

Teachers’ Burnout during COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain: Trait Emotional Intelligence and Socioemotional Competencies

The aim of this research is to recognize the burnout levels in a group of high school teachers that exercised their profession during the COVID-19 pandemic, looking forward to examining the correlation between burnout levels, trait emotional intelligence and socioemotional competencies (Autonomy, Regulation, Prosocial Behaviour and Empathy). The study counted with a sample of 430 high school teachers from multiple regions of Spain. The participants’ age was between 25 and 60, and the gender distribution was 53.72% for men and 46.28% for women. We used the Spanish version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24) and the Socioemotional Competences Scale (SCS). The main results indicated that teachers showed high levels of burnout dimensions, with women being the most affected, reaching higher levels in comparison to men. It was also observed that the older and more experienced professionals showed lower levels of burnout. Finally, statistically significant negative relations were found between emotional intelligence and burnout levels, as well as their association with the teacher’s socioemotional competencies. The analysis argues the possible consequences of stress during the pandemic and, correspondingly, the need for promoting protective approaches that embrace emotional intelligence and socioemotional competencies.