Kindergarten teachers' mental health: Stress, pre-school teacher efficacy, and hardiness

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of stress, pre-school teacher efficacy, and hardiness on the mental health of kindergarten teachers. Participants in the study were 186 teachers working in public school kindergartens. Factor analysis identified 4 factors: "human relations in the office," "much work and insufficient time," "children's difficulty in understanding and complying," and "difficulties in managing the class." Path analysis showed that "human relations in the office" and "much work and insufficient time" influenced mental health, and were buffered by hardiness.