Association between anxiety and depression among teachers in a private higher education institution / Associação entre ansiedade e depressão em professores de uma instituição de ensino superior privada

Abstract

Introduction: Teaching is a profession that demands continuous updating, requirements and efforts, which can generate demands and adapt to the labor market, which is constantly changing. These professionals are exposed to an extensive workload, often needing to incorporate their professional activities into their personal lives. Objective: To analyze the prevalence of depression and anxiety among teachers of a private university of higher education and the association of sociodemographic and characteristic factors of the profession. Methods: This is a cross-sectional and descriptive study, with a quantitative approach, carried out at the Centro Universitario of Anapolis - UniEVANGÉLICA. The sample consisted of teachers from twenty-two undergraduate courses and a master's degree from the institution. A sociodemographic questionnaire associated with the Beck Inventory for Depression (BDI) and Beck Inventory for Anxiety (BAI). Results: The greatest association with depression was between 30 and 40 years of age, however moderate and severe cases are more evident in the elderly. In addition, it was observed that the biological science courses had minimal anxiety scores, in contrast, the exact science courses had the highest proportion of teachers with severe anxiety. Conclusion: The similarity and prevalence of Depression and Anxiety seen in the results of this study, may be due to unrealistic expectations regarding the profession. However, there is a possibility that there was a selection bias, as the participating teachers were volunteers, with the possibility that those teachers most affected did not participate or did not respond sincerely to the research.