Background Teaching work is stressful, moreover during the pandemic teachers’ stress might have been intensified by distance education as well as by limited access to social support, which functions as a buffer in experiencing stress. The aim of the research was to investigate the relation between distance education and teachers’ well-being, and their close relations and other social relations during the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods The research was conducted in two stages on 285 Polish primary and secondary school teachers who were recruited by means of the chain referral method. The following measures were used: The Depression Anxiety & Stress Scales-21, Berlin Social Support Scales, The Relationship Satisfaction Scale and The Injustice Experience Questionnaire. Results The teachers experienced at least mild levels of stress, anxiety and depression, both during the first as well as the second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. It has been confirmed that there is a negative relation between relationship quality change and social relations quality change, and stress, anxiety and depression. The variables taken into consideration in the research have provided the explanation for the variation of stress—from 6% in the first stage of the research to 47% in the second stage; for the variation of anxiety—from 21% to 31%; and for the variation of depression—from 12% to 46%, respectively. Conclusions The research results show that due to distance work the distinction between professional work and family life might have been blurred, and as a consequence teachers’ well-being could have been worsened. The isolation put on to stop the spreading of the virus might have contributed to changes in social relations, in close relations in particular, and at the same time negatively influenced teachers’ abilities to effectively cope with the crisis situations.

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Teachers' mental health during the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland.

The purpose of this study was to improve understanding of the relationship between teacher engagement and self-efficacy by investigating the potential mediating role of participation in continuing professional development (CPD) and the moderating role of years of teaching experience. The study was cross-designed with self-reported measurements from 615 Chinese teachers (Mage = 38.56, SD = 8.35). Results show that teachers’ work engagement positively predicted self-efficacy, and participation in CPD mediated this relation; furthermore, the mediating effect of CPD was moderated by number of work years. The indirect effect of participation in CPD was stronger for young teachers than for experienced teachers. Moreover, for young teachers, the degree of participating in updating, reflective, and collaborative activities was related to the increase of self-efficacy; however, participation in reflective and collaborative activities benefited only experienced teachers. Findings lend support to encouraging involvement in CPD activities in order to promote teacher self-efficacy; furthermore, results emphasize the benefit of young teachers’ engagement in CPD.

Teacher engagement and self-efficacy: The mediating role of continuing professional development and moderating role of teaching experience

Background Teaching is a stressful occupation with poor retention. The Incredible Years® Teacher Classroom Management (TCM) programme is a training programme that research has demonstrated may be an effective intervention for improving children's mental health, but little research has explored any impacts there may be on the teachers' own professional confidence and mental health. Aims In this paper, we evaluate whether TCM may lead to changes in teachers' well-being, namely a reduction in burnout and an improvement in self-efficacy and mental health. Sample Eighty schools across the South West of England were recruited between September 2012 and September 2014. Headteachers were asked to nominate one class teacher to take part. Methods Eighty teachers were randomized to either attend a TCM course (intervention) or not (control). TCM was delivered to groups of up to 12 teachers in six whole-day workshops that were evenly spread between October and April. At baseline and 9-month follow-up, we measured teachers' mental health using the Everyday Feelings Questionnaire (EFQ), burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), and self-efficacy using the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale-Short (TSES-Short). Results Using linear regression models, there was little evidence of differences at follow-up between the intervention and control teachers on the outcomes (the smallest p-value was .09). Conclusions Our findings did not replicate previous research that TCM improved teachers' sense of efficacy. However, there were limitations with this study including low sample size.

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The Incredible Years® Teacher Classroom Management programme and its impact on teachers' professional self-efficacy, work-related stress, and general well-being: Results from the STARS randomized controlled trial.

Background Poor mental health in childhood is common, persistent and associated with a range of adverse outcomes that include persistent psychopathology, as well as risk-taking behaviour, criminality and educational failure, all of which may also compromise health. There is a growing policy focus on children’s mental health and the role of schools in particular in addressing this. Objectives To evaluate whether or not the Incredible Years® (IY) Teacher Classroom Management (TCM) training improved children’s mental health, behaviour, educational attainment and enjoyment of school, improved teachers’ mental health and relationship with work, and was cost-effective in relation to potential improvements. Design A two-arm, pragmatic, parallel-group, superiority, cluster randomised controlled trial. Setting A total of 80 UK schools (clusters) were recruited in three distinct cohorts between 2012 and 2014 and randomised to TCM (intervention) or teaching as usual [(TAU) control] with follow-ups at 9, 18 and 30 months. Schools and teachers were not masked to allocation. Participants Eighty schools (n = 2075 children) were randomised: 40 (n = 1037 children) to TCM and 40 (n = 1038 children) to TAU. Interventions TCM was delivered to teachers in six whole-day sessions, spread over 6 months. The explicit goals of TCM are to enhance classroom management skills and improve teacher–student relationships. Main outcome measures The primary planned outcome was the teacher-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Total Difficulties (SDQ-TD) score. Random-effects linear regression and marginal logistic regression models using generalized estimating equations were used to analyse outcomes. Results The intervention reduced the SDQ-TD score at 9 months [adjusted mean difference (AMD) –1.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) –1.9 to –0.1; p = 0.03] but there was little evidence of effects at 18 months (AMD –0.1, 95% CI –1.5 to 1.2; p = 0.85) and 30 months (AMD –0.7, 95% CI –1.9 to 0.4; p = 0.23). Planned subgroup analyses suggested that TCM is more effective than TAU for children with poor mental health. Cost-effectiveness analysis using the SDQ-TD suggested that the probability of TCM being cost-effective compared with TAU was associated with some uncertainty (range of 40% to 80% depending on the willingness to pay for a unit improvement in SDQ-TD score). In terms of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), there was evidence to suggest that TCM was cost-effective compared with TAU at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence thresholds of £20,000–30,000 per QALY at 9- and 18-month follow-up, but not at 30-month follow-up. There was evidence of reduced disruptive behaviour (p = 0.04) and reductions in inattention and overactivity (p = 0.02) at the 30-month follow-up. Despite no main effect on educational attainment, subgroup analysis indicated that the intervention’s effect differed between those who did and those who did not have poor mental health for both literacy (interaction p = 0.04) and numeracy (interaction p = 0.03). Independent blind observations and qualitative feedback from teachers suggested that teachers’ behaviour in the classroom changed as a result of attending TCM training. Limitations Teachers were not masked to allocation and attrition was marked for parent-reported data. Conclusions Our findings provide tentative evidence that TCM may be an effective universal child mental health intervention in the short term, particularly for primary school children who are identified as struggling, and it may be a cost-effective intervention in the short term. Future work Further research should explore TCM as a whole-school approach by training all school staff and should evaluate the impact of TCM on academic progress in a more thorough and systematic manner. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN84130388. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme and will be published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 7, No. 6. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information. Funding was also provided by the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care South West Peninsula (NIHR CLAHRC South West Peninsula).

Training teachers in classroom management to improve mental health in primary school children: the STARS cluster RCT

Adverse childhood experiences and trauma informed practices in second chance education settings in the Republic of Ireland: An inquiry-based study

Psychological distress among primary school teachers: a comparison with clinical and population samples

Abstract Background Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that can persist into adulthood. Young people often stop taking ADHD medication during adolescence despite evidence that continuation would be beneficial. Increasingly, young people are restarting medication in early adulthood suggesting that cessation was premature. In this paper we explore the reasons given by young people for discontinuing ADHD medication. Methods Qualitative data from the Children and Adolescents with ADHD in Transition between Children's and Adult Services (CATCh‐uS) project was analysed to look for reasons for stopping medication. Semi‐structured interviews with three groups of young people were analysed using thematic and framework analysis; this included young people prior to transition (n = 21); young people that had successfully transitioned to adult services (n = 22); and young people who left children's services prior to transition but re‐entered adult services later (n = 21). Results Reasons given by young people for stopping ADHD medication included the following: the perceived balance between benefits and adverse effects of medication; perceptions of ADHD as a childhood or educational disorder; life circumstance of the young person and challenges young people faced in accessing services. Conclusions A multidimensional approach is needed to address discontinuation of ADHD medication in order to improve the long‐term prospects and quality of life for these young people. Possible approaches include access to non‐pharmacological treatments and improved psychoeducation. As many reasons given by young people are not unique to ADHD, these findings are also of relevance to medication adherence in other chronic childhood conditions.

Daniel Titheradge

Papers

Psychological distress among primary school teachers: a comparison with clinical and population samples

The Incredible Years® Teacher Classroom Management programme and its impact on teachers' professional self-efficacy, work-related stress, and general well-being: Results from the STARS randomized controlled trial.

Why young people stop taking their attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medication: A thematic analysis of interviews with young people