Mental health and patterns of work-related coping behaviour in a German sample of student teachers: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the mental health of student teachers, to analyse the extent to which they feel prepared for their profession by the university curriculum and to investigate patterns of coping with occupational stress. METHODS: A sample of 481 German student teachers was investigated using two standardised instruments: GHQ-12 (General Health Questionnaire) and AVEM (Arbeitsbezogenes Verhaltens- und Erlebensmuster), an occupational stress and coping questionnaire describing four patterns of work-related coping behaviour. In addition, we asked how well the student teachers felt that the curriculum prepared them for their profession. RESULTS: Forty-four per cent of the student teachers report impaired mental health in the second teacher training period, indicated by a GHQ value equal to or over the cut-off of four. The AVEM responses revealed more than 40% showing risk patterns (A or B) compared to only 26.3% displaying a healthy coping style (G), while 32.8% demonstrate an unambitious style (S). These GHQ values are inversely correlated with the extent to which student teachers feel prepared for their work by the university curriculum. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate a problematic stress level for student teachers in the second training phase (high exposure to health risks and unfavourable coping styles). Since teaching is clearly an extremely demanding job, it is vital that teacher training systems contribute towards protecting the health of teachers by focusing on fostering healthy personal attitudes and equipping young teachers with coping styles and skills that will better prepare them for the challenges facing them in their daily work. Self-care health management should also be part of the teacher training curriculum.

Working conditions, adverse events and mental health problems in a sample of 949 German teachers.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was (1) to explore in detail the working load of teachers, (2) to analyse the extent of negative or threatening school-related events teachers are confronted with, and (3) to evaluate mental health strain by applying the general health questionnaire (GHQ). METHODS: A sample of 949 teachers in 10 grammar schools (German: Gymnasien) and 79 secondary modern schools (German: Hauptschulen) was investigated applying (1) a questionnaire covering different aspects of the occupational burden and threatening school-associated events and (2) the general health questionnaire (GHQ-12). RESULTS: Based on what teachers indicated in the questionnaire, full-time teachers work more than 51 h weekly. More than 42% of our sample indicated verbal insults, almost 7% deliberate damage of personal belongings, and 4.4% threat of violence by pupils during the past 12 months. When applying the GHQ-12, we found that 29.8% of the sample report significant mental health problems. With respect to school types, teachers in secondary modern schools indicated more of such problems, while no effects regarding age, gender, or full/part-time teaching were observed. CONCLUSIONS: To be a teacher is a hard work and requires coping of considerable amount of adverse events. Based on the GHQ, nearly 30% of teachers suffer from significant mental health problems.

Burnout and effort-reward-imbalance in a sample of 949 German teachers.

OBJECTIVES: High rates of teachers' premature retirement initiated a research investigating their occupational burden. The aim of this study was to elaborate on and extend previous investigations exploring (1) teacher burnout and (2) the relationship between teachers' efforts and their rewards. METHODS: A sample of 949 German teachers in 10 Gymnasien (grammar schools) and 79 Hauptschulen (secondary modern schools) was investigated applying the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-D) and the Effort Reward Imbalance Inventory (ERI). RESULTS: Compared with other studies investigating burnout in employees, we found high rates of burnout symptoms such as emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and low personal accomplishment. Male teachers showed significantly lower personal accomplishment and more depersonalization than female teachers. With respect to school types, teachers in Hauptschulen were more often affected by emotional exhaustion and showed more depersonalization. Part-time teachers felt less personal accomplishment than full-time teachers. The ERI cut off was exceeded by 21.6% of all teachers indicating that this subgroup is affected by an imbalance between too much effort and too little reward. With respect to the ERI, significant differences were found for school types, with a higher proportion of Hauptschulen teachers being above this cut off. CONCLUSIONS: At present, the working situation of teachers appears to be characterized by a perceived imbalance of effort and reward and is associated with a high risk of developing burnout symptoms.