A pilot study evaluating the factors associated with psychological distress of school teachers in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan

Yoshikazu Miyamae, Nobuyuki Miyatake, Junko Miyamae, Takeshi Suzue, Noriko Sakano, Taichi Nagatomi, Wataru Shiraki, Tomohiro Hirao

Center for Educational Research and Teacher Development, Faculty of Education, Kagawa University, Kagawa, Japan;.
Department of Hygiene, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa, Japan.
Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Sanyo Gakuen University, Okayama, Japan.
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa, Japan.
Department of Reliability-Based Information Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kagawa University, Kagawa, Japan.
Faculty of Education, Kagawa University, Kagawa, Japan.
Institute of Research Partnership Center for Social Collaboration and Intellectual Property, Kagawa University, Kagawa, Japan.

DOI: 10.4236/health.2013.56130                

Abstract

Objective: We investigated the psychological distress of school teachers using a 6-item instrument (the K6) in Kagawa prefecture, Japan. Methods: A total of 670 school teachers (328 men and 342 women) were analyzed in this cross-sectional investigation study. The association between psychological distress and clinical factors was evaluated by using the K6 instrument, with psychological distress defined as 13 or more points out of a total of 24 points. Results: A total of 55 teachers (8.2%) were classified as having psychological distress. No significant relationships between the K6 score and sex, age, duration of experience as a teacher, school grade and title were noted. The K6 score in teachers with consciousness of suicide among students was higher than that without, but not at a significant level. Conclusion: Some teachers were defined as having psychological distress in Kagawa prefecture, Japan. However, no relevant effects of basic characteristics such as age and sex on psychological distress were recognized.

Keywords

Psychological Distress; K6; School Teacher; Kagawa Prefecture; Japan

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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