SAÚDE MENTAL DOS PROFESSORES EM TEMPOS DA PANDEMIA DA COVID-19: entrevista aos professores das escolas primárias da cidade de Nampula-Moçambique

Abstract

This is a cross-sectional qualitative research using a semi-structured interview whose objective was to assess the impacts of the pandemic on the mental health of primary school teachers in the city of Nampula, Mozambique. All participants were contacted in advance (with the help of a collaborator) and presented with the free and informed consent form. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and processed under the content analysis of Saldaña (2013). The results indicate that the Covid-19 pandemic has greatly affected the mental health of teachers and the entire school community. Respondents reported experiences of anxiety and fear among students, teachers and other users when returning to face-to-face classes during the pandemic. However, despite the fact that many psychology professionals (school psychology, educational psychology, social and organizational psychology, clinical psychology and related areas) that many Mozambican universities have trained annually, schools do not enjoy their services and many of them are allocated as professors in different classes and sometimes, outside its scope of action. Due to the complexity of the emotional and affective problems that have been registered in schools, it is suggested that the education system together with schools implement psychological support services to promote the well-being and mental health of the school community and the population in general.