Abstract
Purpose Occupational stress-relating overwork among teachers predispose to mental disorders and eventually lead to long leave from work. Although some studies have been conducted to assess these problems among elementary and junior high school teachers, a quantitative investigation has been limited to date. In this study, the authors sought to explore the association between overwork and mental stress among Japanese elementary and junior high school teachers. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory cross-sectional questionnaire survey was carried out on 294 Japanese elementary and junior high school teachers. The respondents filled a questionnaire on personal data, and occupational stress reaction was evaluated by Japanese version of Brief Job Questionnaire. Multiple linear regression model was used to evaluate the association between overwork information and psychological and physical stress. Findings Working during holidays was significantly likely to increase psychological and physical stress reactions among elementary school teachers (adjusted mean difference = −1.67, 95% CI: −2.81 to −0.54) and junior high school teachers (adjusted mean difference = −5.24, 95% CI: −9.60 to −0.87). A weakly positive association was found between high risk of psychological and physical stress and marital status (p = 0.005), teacher in charge of class (p = 0.015) among elementary school teachers. Originality/value This study indicated an association between working during holidays and psychological and physical stress reactions among elementary and junior high school teachers after adjusting for sociodemographic and work-related status. Further study for the confirmation of this finding is warranted.
Highlights
IntroductionFew studies have targeted Japanese teachers; previous studies have shown that overwork (Bannai et al, 2015), reduced job satisfaction, shorter time spent on leisure (Nagai et al, 2007), high role ambiguity, high role conflict, high quantitative workload and low social support from family or friends (Nakada et al, 2016) were associated with a negative impact on mental health among Japanese teachers
The increasing numbers of school teachers taking leave from work due to mental disorders has become a serious problem in Japan
This study indicated an association between working during holidays and psychological and physical stress reactions among elementary and junior high school teachers after adjusting for sociodemographic and work-related status
Summary
Few studies have targeted Japanese teachers; previous studies have shown that overwork (Bannai et al, 2015), reduced job satisfaction, shorter time spent on leisure (Nagai et al, 2007), high role ambiguity, high role conflict, high quantitative workload and low social support from family or friends (Nakada et al, 2016) were associated with a negative impact on mental health among Japanese teachers. It is still unclear which are the chief influencing factors of Japanese teachers’ stress levels. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http:// creativecommons.org/ licences/by/4.0/legalcode
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
