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Preschool Teachers’ Psychological Distress and Work Engagement during COVID-19 Outbreak: The Protective Role of Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation

Author

Listed:
  • Mor Keleynikov

    (Department of Special Education, Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel)

  • Joy Benatov

    (Department of Special Education, Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
    Department of Psychology, College of Management and Academic Studies, Haifa 3498838, Israel)

  • Rony Berger

    (Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
    The Center for Compassionate Mindful Education, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel)

Abstract

COVID-19 has dramatically affected the mental health and work environment of the educational sector. Our primary aim was to investigate preschool teachers’ psychological distress and work engagement during the COVID-19 outbreak, while examining the possible protective role of participating in a mindfulness-based intervention geared to foster compassion (Call2Care-Israel for Teachers; C2C-IT) and emotion regulation. The prevalence of emotional distress, work engagement, and COVID-19 concerns were evaluated in 165 preschool teachers in the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak in Israel through questionnaires. The findings showed that preschool teachers experienced increased emotional distress. Teachers who had participated in the C2C-IT intervention six months before the pandemic outbreak (N = 41) reported lower emotional distress, higher use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies, and higher work engagement, compared to their counterparts that had not participated in the intervention (N = 124). Emotion regulation strategies mediated the link between participating in CTC-IT intervention and emotional distress and work engagement. Teaching is a highly demanding occupation, especially during a pandemic, thus making it important to invest resources in empowering this population. The findings here suggest that the implementation of a mindfulness-based intervention during the school year can enhance teachers’ well-being, even during stressful events such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Mor Keleynikov & Joy Benatov & Rony Berger, 2022. "Preschool Teachers’ Psychological Distress and Work Engagement during COVID-19 Outbreak: The Protective Role of Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-15, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:5:p:2645-:d:757760
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Pablo A. Lizana & Gustavo Vega-Fernadez & Alejandro Gomez-Bruton & Bárbara Leyton & Lydia Lera, 2021. "Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Teacher Quality of Life: A Longitudinal Study from before and during the Health Crisis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-11, April.
    2. Seoyon Yang & Sang Gyu Kwak & Eun Jae Ko & Min Cheol Chang, 2020. "The Mental Health Burden of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical Therapists," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-7, May.
    3. Rebecca Allen & John Jerrim & Sam Sims, 2020. "How did the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic affect teacher wellbeing?," CEPEO Working Paper Series 20-15, UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, revised Sep 2020.
    4. Michal Alon-Tirosh & Dorit Hadar-Shoval & Kfir Asraf & Lubna Tannous-Haddad & Orna Tzischinsky, 2021. "The Association between Lifestyle Changes and Psychological Distress during COVID-19 Lockdown: The Moderating Role of COVID-Related Stressors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-12, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jill T. Krause & Samantha M. Brown, 2023. "Mindfulness Intervention Improves Coping and Perceptions of Children’s Behavior among Families with Elevated Risk," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(23), pages 1-18, November.

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