The Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Chilean Teachers

Abstract

COVID-19 changed routines and affected health, economic and educational systems. Unfortunately, insufficient attention has been paid to its effects on mental health, particularly on teachers. In this framework, this research aimed to describe the self-reported general health of Chilean teachers during the physical isolation and quarantine measures imposed after COVID-19 in Chile. Methodologically, through a non-probabilistic sampling, the Goldberg General Health Questionnaire in its 12-item version (GHQ-12) was applied to 4,109 educators, teachers and principals between July 9 and August 6, 2020. Using frequencies and chi-square, the results show that 68.8% of the respondents self-reported mental health problems, especially critical in women, young people and those who practiced in in the classroom in elementary and middle school, caregivers and those with –or in their family– symptoms or diagnosis of COVID-19. The conclusions highlight the vulnerability of the profession to mental health problems as an effect of the outbreak, distance education and the precariousness of their pre-pandemic working conditions.