Study reveals that over 50% of teachers in Spain suffer anxiety or depression due to COVID-19

A STUDY has revealed that teachers in Spain show clear symptoms of anxiety because of COVID-19 and the return to the classroom.

54% of teachers who responded to the study – the ‘Impact of COVID-19 on the psychological health of workers in Spain’ – reported clinical signs of depression or anxiety.

The ‘Education Report’ was led by the consultancy firm Affor Prevencion Psicosocial.

The study reveals that teachers present sleep disturbance (90%), nervousness, irritability or tension (89.5%), headache (79.2%), delays in commencing tasks (62.9%) or a feeling of suffocation without physical exertion (52.1%).

The report also highlights that 64.6% of teachers feel more overwhelmed and stressed than usual and 42.7% feel unhappy and depressed.

“The impact of COVID-19 has caused psychological imbalances in many people, especially among the active population when it comes to reconciling professional and family life in an environment that is new for everyone,” said Carmen Rodriguez, Director of the Psychological Intervention Department of Affor.

“If we also consider that the education sector is traditionally one of the most exposed to anxiety and has been most affected since the beginning of the pandemic, with the start of the school year, education councils and schools should strengthen the monitoring of psychosocial risks among teachers to prevent their incidence from increasing.”

The study was carried out in Spain and in seven Latin American countries (Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Peru).