Moderating Effect of Mental Health on the Association between Teachers’ Stress and their Professional Attitude in Tanzania

Abstract

Various reports show that there is an increase in teachers’ stress and
a decline in teachers’ professional attitude in Tanzania. Few studies
have examined the reasons for such situation. This study examined the
moderating effect of mental health on the association between teachers’
level of stress and their professional attitude. The study used a selected
sample of teachers from 12 randomly selected public primary schools
of Tanzania (N = 173, Mean Age = 38.10 years, SD = 10.0). Using
hierarchical regression moderation model, a significant association was
found between teachers’ professional attitude and their level of stress (β
= – .21, p < .001), which was moderated by mental health (β = – .12, p <
.029). The findings call for interventions to enhance teachers’ wellbeing
including the wellbeing of their mental health in order to improve their
organizational and life performance in the country.
Keywords: mental health, professional attitude, teachers’ stress,
Tanzania