Psychology Research and Behavior Management (Sep 2023)

Perceived Stress and Mental Health Literacy Among Chinese Preschool Teachers: A Moderated Mediation Model of Anxiety and Career Resilience

  • Qian G,
  • Wu Y,
  • Wang W,
  • Lei R,
  • Zhang W,
  • Jiang S,
  • Huang Y,
  • Zhang Z

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 16
pp. 3777 – 3785

Abstract

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Guoying Qian,1,* Yufeng Wu,2,* Wei Wang,3 Ru Lei,4 Wanli Zhang,5 Suo Jiang,6,7 Yingying Huang,6 Zaiqing Zhang8 1College of Preschool Education, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 330022, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Psychology, Shanxi Datong University, Datong, 037009, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Education Science, Kaili University, Kaili, 556011, People’s Republic of China; 5School of Education Science, Shaanxi Xueqian Normal University, Xi’an, 710100, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Applied Psychology in School of Psychiatry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, People’s Republic of China; 7The Affiliated Wenzhou Kangning Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 32500, People’s Republic of China; 8Beijing Jacademy Consulting Co., LTD, Beijing, 101121, People’s Republic of China*These authors have contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Zaiqing Zhang, Beijing Jacademy Consulting Co., Ltd, Liyuan Dafang House, Tongzhou District, 330-1-2001, Beijing, 325035, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: Chinese public mental health is currently characterized by a high prevalence of mental ill health and a low consultation rate, due primarily to the nation’s low mental health literacy. Previous studies have shown that occupational stress may be a risk factor for mental health literacy. In China, preschool teachers are under high pressure; however, few studies have examined the mechanisms that mediate and moderate the relationship between preschool teachers’ feelings of stress and their mental health literacy.Methods: A questionnaire was administered to 2352 preschool teachers to explore the relationship between their stress perceptions and mental health literacy.Results: Preschool teachers’ perceived stress was significantly and negatively associated with their mental health literacy, with anxiety playing a partially mediating role. Preschool teachers’ career resilience moderated the relationship between perceived stress and anxiety. Perceived stress positively predicted anxiety for teachers with low levels of career resilience; for teachers with high levels of career resilience, perceived stress still positively predicted anxiety, and the higher the level of career resilience, the weaker the positive prediction of stress perception on anxiety.Conclusion: Perceived stress directly predicted mental health literacy among preschool teachers, and also indirectly predicted mental health literacy through the mediating role of anxiety. Career resilience moderated the relationship between stress perception and anxiety. These findings provide new perspectives on the treatment and prevention of preschool teachers’ mental ill health.Keywords: mental health literacy, perceived stress, anxiety, career resilience, preschool teacher

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