The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Teachers and Its Possible Risk Factors: A Systematic Review

Iago Sávyo Duarte Santiago, Emanuelle Pereira dos Santos, José Arinelson da Silva, Yuri de Sousa Cavalcante, Jucier Gonçalves Júnior (), Angélica Rodrigues de Souza Costa and Estelita Lima Cândido
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Iago Sávyo Duarte Santiago: School of Medicine, Federal University of Cariri (UFCA), Barbalha 60430-160, Brazil
Emanuelle Pereira dos Santos: School of Medicine, Federal University of Cariri (UFCA), Barbalha 60430-160, Brazil
José Arinelson da Silva: School of Medicine, Federal University of Cariri (UFCA), Barbalha 60430-160, Brazil
Yuri de Sousa Cavalcante: School of Medicine, Federal University of Cariri (UFCA), Barbalha 60430-160, Brazil
Jucier Gonçalves Júnior: Division of Rheumatology, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-010, Brazil
Angélica Rodrigues de Souza Costa: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Desenvolvimento Regional Sustentável (PRODER), Federal University of Cariri (UFCA), Juazeiro do Norte 63048-080, Brazil
Estelita Lima Cândido: School of Medicine, Federal University of Cariri (UFCA), Barbalha 60430-160, Brazil

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-30

Abstract: (1) Objective: The objective was to analyze the development of psychiatric pathologies/burnout syndrome and their possible risk factors in teachers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) Methods: A qualitative systematic review was carried out, according to the PRISMA protocol, in the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases using a combination of the following descriptors [MeSH]: “mental health”, “mental disorders’’, “covid-19” and “school teachers’’. Articles selected were written in English, Portuguese and Spanish, published between November 2019 and December 2022. (3) Results: The most common psychiatric pathologies were generalized anxiety disorders and depression. Burnout syndrome was also quite prevalent. Of the 776 articles identified, 42 were selected after applying the eligibility criteria. Although there is variability among the analyzed studies, the risk factors most correlated with increased morbidity in teachers were: (i) being female; (ii) age below the fifth decade of life; (iii) pre-existence of chronic or psychiatric illnesses before the pandemic; (iv) difficulty in adapting to the distance education model; (v) family/work conflicts; (vi) negative symptoms caused by the pandemic. (4) Conclusions: Therefore, the COVID-19 impact on mental health appears to be more common in female teachers in their fifth decade of life and with pre-existing psychiatric comorbidities. However, prospective studies are needed to better map this situation.

Keywords: COVID-19; mental disorders; mental health; school teacher; teaching (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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