Depression in preschool teachers is associated with behavioral
problems ranging from aggression to sadness in children under the teachers’
care, new research suggests.
The study identified one contributing factor to this
link: a poor-quality atmosphere in the child care setting that exists as a
result of the teacher’s depressive symptoms. In this study, “teacher” refers to
both classroom instructors and in-home child care providers.
Researchers conducted the study using data from a large
national study that collected family information primarily from low-income,
single-mother households.
“We were interested in that sample because we thought
that children of low-income single mothers might experience a more emotionally
vulnerable home environment, and we wanted to see if the role of teachers
affected their psychological health,” said Lieny Jeon, lead author of the study
and a postdoctoral researcher in human sciences at The Ohio State University.
Behavioral problems in young children – in this case,
3-year-olds – can result in later issues that include lower academic
achievement and a lack of social skills, according to previous research. The
problems rated in this study included externalizing behaviors such as
aggression, anger and a lack of control, as well as internalizing behaviors:
depression, anxiety, sadness and withdrawal.
Jeon and colleagues aim to develop an intervention
allowing teachers to address their own psychological needs – all in the name of
giving children the best chance for appropriate behavioral development.
Cynthia Buettner
“We know high-quality early childhood education is
critical and we also know that very few programs in the United States are truly
high in quality. So how do we get there?” said Cynthia Buettner, associate
professor of human sciences at Ohio State and senior author of the paper. “It’s
incredibly important. Teachers can have a really big impact on children’s
development.”
The research is published in the Journal of Consulting
and Clinical Psychology.
The study sample came from the Fragile Families and Child
Wellbeing Study, an ongoing large, federally funded examination of
single-parent families living under low socioeconomic conditions in 20 large
U.S. cities. The study contains data from families in 15 cities that reported
using child care services for 3-year-old children for at least five hours per
week. In a supplemental study, a research team surveyed the teachers of those
children and observed their child care environments. A total of 761 families
and teachers from the national data are represented in Jeon’s analysis.
Teachers completed a survey that rated their depressed
mood during the preceding two weeks. Assessments of the quality of the child
care atmosphere looked at space and furnishings, personal care, learning
activities, social interactions and discipline.
Compiling a number of factors from this broad national
data, Jeon applied statistical analysis to the variables and developed a model
describing the relationships between teacher depression and childhood
behavioral outcomes. The behavioral problems in children had been scored
separately by both mothers and teachers.
The analysis showed a direct relationship between teacher
depression and both externalizing and internalizing problems in children
reported by teachers as well as internalizing problems reported by parents. The
teacher depression did not predict externalizing problems as reported by the
children’s mothers.
“We were interested in responses about behavior from both
mothers and teachers because they sometimes disagree on these issues, perhaps
because they see children in different environments,” Jeon said. “The
significant association between teacher depression and internalizing problems
at home could be because kids are modeling the teachers’ negative moods.”
The study also showed that when the quality of the child
care climate – in a home or an educational center – was factored into the
analysis, the relationship between teacher depression and parent-reported
behaviors changed. Teacher depression predicted an overall lower-quality child
care atmosphere, which in turn predicted teacher-reported externalizing and
internalizing problems among the children. In this case, however, the
poor-quality child care climate linked to teacher depression did not predict
mother-reported behavioral problems.
“This path between teacher depression and childhood
behavioral problems can likely be explained in several ways. One of the reasons
this relationship manifests with behavior problems is because the classroom has
an unhealthy climate,” Jeon said.
Jeon is extending her work by surveying preschool
teachers about how depression and other factors contribute to their overall
social and emotional capacity – a term coined by the research team. She is
asking them about their work environment, relationship to colleagues, pay and
benefits, coping strategies, commitment to professional development and
attitudes about children. Once she has data on these aspects of teacher life,
she hopes to develop a way for teachers to spend some time looking after
themselves.
“Most training for teachers is about managing the
classroom and addressing behavioral problems,” Jeon said. “They don’t have the
time or resources to address their own psychological difficulties, or access to
any specialized mental health services.”
Salary is a considerable issue for this population, Jeon
and Buettner noted. The average annual pay for a preschool teacher is $27,130.
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