Challenges to Israeli Teachers during the Fifth Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: How Did They Cope When the Schools Reopened?

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed significant demands on teachers. After the state of emergency was lifted, schools reopened and teachers began teaching face-to-face classes while maintaining safety precautions. Insufficient empirical research has examined the situation of teachers since the schools reopened. This study aimed to assess the association between coping resources (resilience and social support) and psychological outcomes (loneliness, depression) among teachers using cross-sectional assessment data from 250 Israeli schoolteachers during the fifth wave of the pandemic in Israel (January 2022). The findings show that depression and loneliness were negatively associated with resilience and social support, while fear of COVID-19 was positively associated with depression and loneliness. Multiple regression models were significant, explaining 37% of the variance in depression and 29% of the variance in loneliness. Further research is needed to explore the impact of coping resources on psychological outcomes to improve teachers’ emotional well-being during emergencies.