Mental Health and Social Support of Teachers in Szeged, Hungary

Abstract

The mental state of teachers is important not only because it affects their own health, but also because it has an impact on the development of the children they teach. In this especially stressful job, resources like social support and mental health help them cope. Our aim is to examine teachers’ mental health, social support, and their interrelationships and whether these are influenced by sociodemographic indicators or harmful addiction. In our descriptive cross-sectional, quantitative research, we measured the mental health and social support of secondary school teachers in Szeged (n = 200). It included validated questionnaires used in international surveys. Social support was weaker in our sample, but mental health outcomes were stronger. The social support from smaller settlements was significantly stronger. Respondents with stronger social support were less affected by depression and had a stronger sense of coherence. The research confirmed the relatively good mental health of teachers, which was strengthened by social support, and the latter also correlated with a sense of coherence. The significance of this lies in the fact that the mental health of teachers has an impact on the mental health of their students, and on their own role in health education.