Anxiety and associated factors among Chinese preschool teachers: A Cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Given preschool teachers' significant influence on young children, it's imperative to assess their mental health and the factors that affect it. In China's rapidly evolving preschool education landscape, some teachers experience varying levels of anxiety. This anxiety not only impacts the teachers' mental well-being and job performance but also indirectly affects the physical and psychological development of the children they teach. Thus, this study delves into the factors contributing to anxiety among preschool teachers, including positive and negative mental health factors. Methods: This study involved 393 preschool teachers, comprising 279 females (71%) and 114 males (29%), aged between 21 and 56, with an average age of 30 years (29.64 ± 5.836). All completed anxiety subscales of the Self-developed Questionnaire, Outcome inventory (anxiety subscales, interpersonal difficulties subscales), Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Aluja (neuroticism and extraversion subscales), Resilience Inventory Perceived stress scale, and inner Strength-Based inventory to measure some demographic factors, anxiety symptoms, interpersonal difficulties, extraversion and neuroticism personality trait, resilience, perceived stress, and inner strength. Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analysis were performed to find potentially significant predictors for anxiety symptoms. Results: The prevalence of anxiety symptoms in Chinese preschool teachers is 12.2%. It revealed that social factors like perceived stress (B = 0.108, p = .001), interpersonal difficulties (B = 0.921, p < .001), and work stress (B = 0.149, p < .001) significantly influenced anxiety levels among preschool teachers and were positively correlated. Additionally, the impact of neuroticism (B = 0.071, p = .002) on psychological factors was significant and positively correlated. Conclusion: Preschool teachers' anxiety is associated with various mental health factors. The study results highlight the importance of effective measures to reduce work-related anxiety and promote positive mental health factors that may help reduce or prevent anxiety. However, further research is needed to understand the impact of positive mental health factors clearly.