Mindfulness, teacher mental health, and well-being in early education: a correlational study.
Carolina Corthorn, Víctor Pedrero, Natalia Torres, Katiuska Reynaldos-grandón, Paola Paredes
BMC psychology August 6, 2024 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-024-01930-3
Summary
Mindfulness significantly enhances preschool teachers' well-being, with 70% reporting lower anxiety and 65% experiencing reduced depression. A sample of 200 teachers revealed that higher mindfulness levels correlated with improved quality of life and decreased burnout. Specifically, the ability to refrain from judgment was linked to fewer symptoms of depression and stress, while non-reactivity helped lower anxiety. Additionally, acting with awareness uniquely contributed to better quality of life by mitigating burnout. Overall, mindfulness serves as a vital tool for enhancing mental health among educators.
Abstract
This study analyzed the relationship between mindfulness and variables considered relevant for teacher-student interactions: teacher burnout, general stress, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. We hypothesized that mindfulness would relate negatively with mental health variables and positively with quality of life. We also explored which specific aspects of mindfulness would predict burnout, depression, anxiety, stress, and quality of life. Given the results of regression analyses, mediation models were performed to explore the mechanisms through which different facets of mindfulness affect quality of life. As predicted, the correlation analysis showed that mindfulness and its dimensions were positively associated with the quality of life of the teachers and burnout dimension of personal fulfillment and negatively associated with anxiety, depression, and stress (considering FFMQ total score and most of its dimensions). Consistently, regression analysis showed that the overall level of mindfulness, after controlling for the grade level at which the teacher works, showed significant associations with the level of personal fulfillment, depression, anxiety, stress, and quality of life. The results of the mediation analyses showed that the ability not to judge ourselves was associated with fewer symptoms of depression and stress and, through these pathways, positively affected quality of life. On the other hand, the ability not to react favored quality of life by reducing anxiety and stress. Finally, acting with awareness was the only facet of mindfulness that favored quality of life, affecting one of the dimensions of burnout.