The Psychological Effect of COVID-19 Epidemic on University Teachers in China

Objectives: ： To assess the mental status of Chinese teachers during the COVID-19 epidemic, and to provide theoretical evidences for psychological intervention. Methods: ： From October 23, 2020 to December 12, 2020, we conducted the online survey. Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale (GAD-7) was used to assess anxiety symptoms. Classified and continuous data were reported as numbers, percentages, and Mean ± SD, respectively. Multivariate Logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between different factors and anxiety symptoms. Results: ： A total of 10302 university teachers participated in this study, 4416 of them (40.0%) showed anxiety symptoms. Female gender ( OR =1.207) and the age of ≥60 years old ( OR =2.004) were associated with anxiety. Being married ( OR =1.319) was the risk factor for anxiety; being neutral ( OR =1.292), or not-support on returning school ( OR =1.620) was common risk factors for anxiety. Conclusions: ： About two-fifths of Chinese university teachers reported anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 epidemic. The government should pay more attention to the mental health of teachers, take timely and appropriate psychological intervention measures, improve the psychological adjustment ability of teachers, and reduce the psychological harm of COVID-19 epidemic to teachers.