A Cross Sectional Study on the Psychological Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Schoolteachers in Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

BACKGROUND COVID-19 is a novel disease caused by Coronavirus. It was declared a pandemic by WHO in March 2020. To reduce the impact of the disease lockdown was imposed by various governments. This has a psychological impact on various groups of people. Schoolteachers are no less affected. There is scarcity in our understanding of the psychological impact among schoolteachers. This study is an attempt to understand the psychological impact among schoolteachers. We wanted to study the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on schoolteachers. METHODS The study was a cross-sectional one and conducted using online Google forms. A total of seventy-nine schoolteachers were included in the study analysis. The data were analysed using R language; nonparametric tests like Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis test were used. The data obtained were tabulated and discussed. RESULTS Nearly half the sample belongs to 46 to 55 years, males constitute 57 %, majority of the participants were married, there was an equal distribution from a rural and urban background and teachers working in Government setup were 86 %. Females had significantly higher levels of depression and stress. Married had significantly higher levels of depression. Moderate to severe levels of depression, anxiety and stress were seen in 2.6 %, 10 %, and 2.5 % of the participants. CONCLUSIONS The study has found an increase in psychological impact among the schoolteachers. But the reported increase is less than that observed during the peak of the pandemic. Females have more depression and stress compared to males. KEYWORDS COVID-19, Mental Disorders, Pandemic, Schoolteachers