Perceived stress, coping and mental health of teachers: A latent profile analysis

Abstract

This study aimed to identify teachers’ stress profiles from their perceived stress responses, and to determine the relationships between their stress profiles, coping strategies, and mental health. Participants were a convenience sample of teachers (n = 209) in the Sedibeng East District in South Africa (female = 80.4%; mean age = 41.59 years, SD = 12.35 years). The teachers responded to the Perceived Stress Scale, the Brief COPE Inventory, and the Mental Health Continuum – Short Form. Following latent profile analyses, results revealed three stress profiles: distressed, moderately stressed, and self-efficacious. The three stress profiles differed significantly regarding coping strategies and mental health. Teachers with a distressed profile who used self-blame as a coping strategy had poor mental health, while those with a self-efficacious profile and religion as a coping strategy had better mental health. The distressed profile had the most substantial adverse effect on mental health when positive reframing and active coping was low. Interventions aimed to promote mental health in teachers should consider their coping strategies as resources for recovery.

Keywords:

• coping strategies
• latent profile analysis
• perceived stress
• teachers’ coping strategies
• teachers’ perceived stress