Relationship Between Mental Health and Teaching

Abstract

Good mental health is an index of psychological well-being desirable for all people including student teachers. To prevent and protect children from exposure to teachers with poor mental health, trainee teachers should be screened for psychological well-being. Using the Revised Symptoms Checklist, the survey assessed the mental health of Brunei trainee teachers and explored the extent to which the profiles were useful in structuring teacher education and addressing potential future problems. Males scored higher and were significantly different from their female counterparts on six primary factors (Obsessive-Compulsive, Interpersonal Sensitivity, Depression, Anxiety, Hostility, and Phobia) and two summary indices (Global Severity Index and Positive Symptom Total). In addition, four primary factors (Obsessive-Compulsive, Depression, Anxiety, and Paranoid Ideation) contributed significantly to global psychological distress. The primary factors and summary indices correlated negatively with achievement test scores. Moreover, multiple regression analysis subsequently confirmed them to be poor predictors of academic success. Overall, the findings suggested that these assessments could sensitize trainees to mental well-being issues, aid efforts to counsel vulnerable and at-risk students, and assist in promoting mental health among student teachers. Future mixed-methods research is recommended.