Teachers’ mental health during Covid-19 : an evidence-based program for teachers

Abstract

While it is acknowledged that teachers’ social and emotional competences influence the quality of teacher-student relationships, the role of teachers’ own mental health has been often overlooked. A plethora of school-based programs have focused exclusively on teaching students’ social and emotional competences, with no emphasis given to the implementors’ social and emotional competences. The present study is part of a bigger research project and investigated changes on teachers’ social and emotional competences and resilience, following the implementation of Promoting Mental Health at Schools (PROMEHS), a school-based program developed for both students and teachers’ promotion of mental health at schools. The program was implemented through teleconference during COVID-19. Participants were 152 in-service primary and secondary education teachers, divided in an experimental and a control group. The Social and Emotional Competence for Teachers (SECTRS) and the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale (DC-RISK, 10) were used to measure teachers’ social and emotional competences and resilience. The study revealed moderate changes on teachers’ competences following the PROMEHS program.