Reduction of the depression caused by work stress for teachers: Subjective well-being as a mediator

Abstract

The mental health of teachers had long been said to bring forth positive outcomes on students’ schooling. In the current study, our purpose was to build up a mediation model that could explain how the depression caused by perceived work stress (PWS) would be reduced by lowering subjective well-being (SWB). A total random sample of 1214 teachers was recruited and measured by Subjective Well-Being Scale, Taiwan Depression Scale, and perceived work stress from students, parents, and peers. The whole data were analyzed by ANOVA, Pearson correlations, and structure equation modeling (SEM). Results showed that 1) PWS differed by positions of teachers. 2) PWS from students, parents, and peers had significantly caused Depression. 3) SWB successfully mediated the effects of the PWS and Depression. The current results further provided an empirical proof of how PWS lower teachers` well-being in psychology, social, and emotion of SWB. Our hypothesis of an existed mediation effect had been supported. The current study hoped that the findings would be able to help educational administrators, policy makers, and researchers in protecting teachers’ mental health.