Teachers’ mental health during covid-19: An evidence-based program for teachers

While it is acknowledged that teachers’ social and emotional competences influence the quality of teacher-student relationships, the role of teachers’ own mental health has been often overlooked. A plethora of school-based programs have focused exclusively on teaching students’ social and emotional competences, with no emphasis given to the implementors’ social and emotional competences. The present study is part of a bigger research project and investigated changes on teachers’ social and emotional competences and resilience, following the implementation of Promoting Mental Health at Schools (PROMEHS), a school-based program developed for both students and teachers’ promotion of mental health at schools. The program was implemented through teleconference during COVID-19. Participants were 152 in-service primary and secondary education teachers, divided in an experimental and a control group. The Social and Emotional Competence for Teachers (SECTRS) and the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale (DCRISK, 10) were used to measure teachers’ social and emotional competences and resilience. The study revealed moderate changes on teachers’ competences following the PROMEHS program