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It's not only parents' behavior and trauma that has large impacts on children's behavior. A new study shows that children with depressed teachers have more behavioral problems than children who do not have depressed teachers:
A teacher's state of mind may be key to preschoolers' behavior, a new study finds.
Researchers found that the students of teachers battling depression acted out more than preschoolers taught by other teachers.
The study points to the importance of the mental health of teachers, the investigators said.
"Most training for teachers is about managing the classroom and addressing behavioral problems," study lead author Lieny Jeon, a postdoctoral researcher in human sciences at Ohio State University in Columbus, said in a university news release. "They don't have the time or resources to address their own psychological difficulties, or access to any specialized mental health services."
For the purposes of the new study, the term "teacher" refers to classroom instructors and in-home child care providers, the researchers explained.
They analyzed data from families in 15 U.S. cities who used child care services for 3-year-old children at least five hours a week, as well as information from the children's preschool teachers. A total of 761 families and teachers were included in the study.
Depression in teachers was associated with children's behavioral problems such as aggression, anger, lack of control, depression, anxiety, sadness and withdrawal.
While the study couldn't confirm a cause-and-effect relationship, the researchers blamed the rise in behavioral issues on negative atmospheres in child care programs, tied to teachers' symptoms of depression.
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