Survey on the mental health of secondary school teachers

Objective To explore the mental health and the influencing factors of teachers in the secondary schools. Methods The SCL-90 and the self-made questionnaire were used to test 410 teachers in four secondary schools in Neijiang. Results The mental health of teachers in secondary schools was significantly worse than the national norm. The incidence of mild and moderate psychological problems was 72.7% and 34.6%, respectively. The main symptoms were depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and somatization. The psychological health levels of the male teachers, the middle-aged teachers, the teachers in charge of a class or in the administrative post, the teachers with junior college degree and the teachers in major subjects were significantly lower. Conclusion The mental health of the secondary school teachers is worrying, and much more special attention should be paid to the teachers in charge of a class or in administrative posts, the middle-aged teachers, the male teachers, the middle-aged male teachers and the teachers with lower degrees.