Investigation and Countermeasure Study on the Current Situation of Depression among Teaching Staff in Deyang City ()
1. Introduction
Teaching staff ( Wang & Niu, 2022 ) refer to personnel directly engaged in education, teaching, teaching experiments, as well as healthcare and other teaching work in schools. Research has found ( Xiao & Zhang, 2022 ) that faculty members may experience psychological stress and affect their mental health due to factors such as individual cognitive and value biases, conflicts between job requirements and personal competence. Depression is a complex emotional state characterized by extreme depression, physical discomfort, laziness and lack of language, and persistent and obvious depression. In severe cases, psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions may occur. If depression is excessive, it can lead to suicide, injury, or even murder, which can have serious consequences and impacts on families and society, and cause damage to individual physical and mental health ( Hu, 2018 ). The purpose of this study is to understand the current state of depression among teaching staff in Deyang City, analyze the relevant factors that affect depression among teaching staff, and propose intervention suggestions to provide reference basis for psychological health education and intervention for teaching staff in this area.
2. Object and Method
2.1. Object
From May to December 2021, a mental health survey was conducted on faculty members aged 20 - 65 who underwent health examinations in Deyang City. This survey has been reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Deyang People’s Hospital, and all research subjects have informed consent.
2.2. Method
2.2.1. Survey Tools
1) General situation questionnaire: including gender, age, educational background, marital status, income, position, and length of service.
2) The Self Rating Depression Scale (SDS) ( Yuan et al., 2021 ) is used to evaluate depressive mood. The scale consists of 20 specific items, each of which explains the typical symptoms of depression. The 20 items are divided into 4 categories, namely: a) psycho emotional symptoms, including depressive mood and crying; b) Somatic disorders, including eight items: daytime differences in emotions, sleep disorders, decreased appetite, decreased libido, constipation, tachycardia, and fatigue susceptibility; c) Psychomotor disorders, including two items: psychomotor delay and agitation; d) Depression psychological disorders include eight items: confusion, hopelessness, irritability, indecisiveness, self depreciation, emptiness, repetitive thinking, suicide, and dissatisfaction.
2.2.2. Result Determination
Each item is scored using the Likert 4-level scoring method. Among them, items 2, 5, 6, 11, 12, 14, 16, 17, 18, and 20 are negative points, while items 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 15, and 19 are positive points. The standard score is (total score/80) × 100 points, and the results are judged according to the standard score. The higher the standard score, the more severe the depressive tendency. The specific
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Table 1. (SDS) depression assessment criteria.
judgment criteria are shown in Table 1.
2.2.3. Survey Methods
A questionnaire survey was conducted on the teaching staff participating in the survey using the PEM psychological examination management platform depression self-assessment scale system. The respondents used computers or mobile phones to fill out the questionnaire separately in the compartment. Before the investigation begins, professional investigators will provide project introductions, informed consent, and unified guidance language. During the investigation process, if there are unclear questions, on-site investigators can be invited to explain and explain.
2.2.4. Quality Control
The investigation steps are carried out by professional investigators, who undergo unified training and guidance before implementation. The survey adopts the PEM psychological examination management platform depression self-assessment scale system, which is filled out by the respondents themselves to avoid data distortion caused by concerns about privacy leakage. The collected questionnaire is logically proofread by two members of the project team. Questionnaires with missing, incorrect, or logical errors, as well as those with a response time of less than 100 seconds, are considered unqualified and will be rejected.
2.3. Statistical Analysis
The data entry of this study was conducted using a dual entry verification method, and the sorted research data was statistically analyzed using SPSS 25.0 software. The measurement data all conform to normal distribution and are described by x ± s. The total SDS scores of different demography groups are compared by single factor analysis of variance and independent sample t-test. The difference is statistically significant if P < 0.05.
3. Results
3.1. Basic Information
A total of 3300 people were surveyed in this study, and 3300 valid questionnaires were collected, with a questionnaire recovery rate of 100%. Among them, 2180 males (66.06%) and 1120 females (33.94%); Mainly aged 30 - 39 years, accounting for 36.58%; 3048 married individuals (92.36%) and 252 unmarried individuals (7.64%); The education level is mainly college or undergraduate, accounting for 81.73%; Income of 3000 - 5000 yuan, accounting for 40.64%; The majority of teachers with professional titles below Level 2 and Level 3, accounting for 68.82%; Working experience of 10 - 15 years, accounting for 27.85%. Please refer to Table 2 for details.
3.2. Positive Depressive Symptoms
A total of 715 people had depressive symptoms this time, with a positive rate of 21.6%, as shown in Table 3. Among those with positive depressive symptoms,
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Table 2. Demography and occupational characteristics of respondents.
the top five single symptoms were difficulty in decision-making (75.6%), feeling of emptiness in life (74.9%), heavy morning and light night (73.4%), decreased sexual interest (72.3%), and despair (69.9%), as shown in Table 4. There was a
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Table 3. Positive rate of depressive symptoms.
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Table 4. Incidence and ranking of individual symptoms among respondents with positive depressive symptoms.
Note: *is a reverse scoring question.
statistically significant difference in the positive rate of depression symptoms among survey subjects of different age groups, educational backgrounds, income, and positions (P < 0.05). Among them, those aged 30 - 39 are higher than those aged 40 - 49; College and undergraduate students are higher than graduate and doctoral students; Those with incomes between 3000 to 5000 yuan and above 5000 yuan; Teaching staff with professional titles at or below level 2 and above level 2. There was no statistically significant difference in the positive rate of depression symptoms among survey subjects of different genders, marital status, and working years (P > 0.05). Please refer to Table 5 for details.
3.3. Analysis of Factors Influencing the Positive Rate of Depression Symptoms
Using the severity of depressive symptoms as the dependent variable (0 = none, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate, 3 = severe) and statistically significant age group, education level, income, and job position as independent variables in univariate analysis, a multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted. The results showed that age and education level were the common influencing factors for the positive rate of depressive symptoms; The older the staff, the lower the risk of depression; Compared to the educational level of college or below, graduate and doctoral students have a lower risk of developing depression. Please refer to Table 6 for details.
4. Discussion
1) In this study, the self rating depression scale score of the surveyed faculty was 43.39 ± 11.62 points, which is higher than the national norm ( Wang & Guan, 2021 ) (41.88 ± 10.57 points), and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.01). Research has shown ( Wang & Zhou, 2022 ) that depression can greatly harm the physical health of faculty and staff. As a special profession in society, teaching staff may face high intensity and pressure due to the nature and content of their work. Research has shown that their sense of job burnout is relatively high ( Xue & Zhao, 2022 ). In the early stages of working, faculty members are also in important stages of life, such as establishing a family, getting married, and having children. They may experience multiple pressures and are prone to developing depression ( Huang, 2020 ). In addition, the general public has a good understanding of the faculty and staff group, believing that their work and income are stable, the difficulty of work is relatively easy, and it is easy to overlook their emotional state changes, leading to their negative emotions not being understood ( Xian, 2021 ). The positive rate of depression symptoms among faculty members in this study was21.6%, Lower than the positive rate of depression surveyed by Yang Rui ( Yang et al., 2021 ) in Lizhou District, Guangyuan City, this may be related to the high pressure and long working hours faced by primary and secondary school faculty.
2) Among 715 people diagnosed with depressive symptoms, over 70% have symptoms of psychological and physical disorders such as difficulty in decision-
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Table 5. Positive rates of depression symptoms among survey subjects with different characteristics.
*P < 0.05, **p < 0.01.
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Table 6. Logit regression analysis results of influencing factors on the positive rate of depression symptoms among survey subjects.
making, feeling empty in life, heavy morning and light night, decreased sexual interest, and despair. If these negative emotions cannot be released for a long time and treated promptly and formally, it can lead to physical dysfunction. Therefore, relevant departments should prioritize the psychological health of faculty and staff, screen and detect them as soon as possible ( Jiang, 2022 ), pay attention to those who have already developed depressive symptoms, and provide correct medical channels and psychological counseling. Univariate analysis showed that the positive rate of depression symptoms in young and working staff was higher than that in older and working staff. The positive rate of depression symptoms among faculty members with low income and professional titles at or below the second level is higher than that of those with high income and high positions, consistent with previous studies ( Luo, 2021 ). For young faculty members, their social support is limited and they cannot properly handle various problems encountered in their work. Failure to find the correct way to vent and long-term accumulation of negative emotions can lead to depression. Some low-income faculty members have poor enthusiasm and initiative in their work, do not find solutions in a timely manner when encountering difficulties, and only complain. Some faculty members lack moral integrity, lack ability, and long-term work is not recognized by their leaders. Their psychology is full of imbalance, and over time, they are also prone to depression. So teaching staff should learn to self regulate negative emotions, learn to manage their own emotions, and enhance their ability to withstand stress.
3) Logistic regression analysis shows that after controlling for factors such as income and professional title, the main factors affecting the positive rate of depression symptoms are age and education level. Among them, those with lower education levels have a higher positive rate of depression symptoms, indicating low education level, relatively small promotion space, and poor salary and benefits; Economic pressures such as clothing, food, housing, and transportation are high. At the same time, due to the fast pace of life, commuting, and the gradual narrowing of social circles, social support is relatively weak, and there is no overall perspective when considering things. Therefore, the risk of depression is higher, and the sense of work achievement and recognition is low, resulting in a psychological gap between reality and expectations. When formulating psychological intervention strategies, it may be necessary to prioritize the younger age group and lower education level of teaching staff in Deyang area.
5. Countermeasure Research
1) Increase the importance of leaders and employees, and add mental health examination items in health examinations ( Wang & Zhou, 2022 ), through early screening, early detection, and early intervention. Because early psychological illnesses are often difficult to detect, problems can only be detected through physical examinations and tests; regularly arrange psychological health counseling lectures for employees; increase the diversity of unit cultural activities; there are ways to increase employee motivation and relieve stress. Employees should also value themselves and use the knowledge they have learned to evaluate themselves. Mild symptoms can be self regulated, such as confiding with friends, exercising, and other ways to release stress. Severe cases require formal treatment at the hospital and psychological counseling.
2) Relevant departments of the unit attach importance to and carry out activities. Because they face the dual pressure of life and work every day, they should be provided with a communication platform and choose a certain day of the month for accessible communication and exchange. The activities held by the unit are diverse.
3) Provide pre employment training for young faculty and staff, and invite psychological experts to the unit to explain psychological issues and how to prevent and alleviate stress; Ask them to learn to self evaluate whether they have any adverse symptoms ( Zhou, 2021 ).
4) Provide multiple channels for educational advancement ( Xiao, 2020 ), which can be conducted through full employment or on-the-job methods; you can choose online learning methods. The unit can provide some reward mechanisms to encourage everyone to improve their academic qualifications. By enabling further development of abilities, one can have a more holistic perspective on the problem and achieve different outcomes.
6. Conclusion
The positive rate of depression among teaching staff in Deyang City is relatively high, and special attention should be paid to the psychological status of young teachers and staff with low educational backgrounds. Schools should attach great importance to employees’ mental health related work, provide pre job training on relevant content when teachers enter the workforce, and enhance employees’ awareness of mental health through regular activities.