Global Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health of Teachers

Abstract

Sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 in 2020 had a global impact and threw the world into panic. Schools were shut down and lockdowns were enforced to obey the pandemic guidelines for safety. Teachers were forced to think outside the box and find alternative ways to teach students remotely relying heavily on technology. Teachers, students, parents, and administrators had to endure significant changes while transitioning from in class to remote instruction. These abrupt changes took a toll on their mental health as they were trying to figure out how to navigate and adapt to the changes. Since the pandemic, several studies have been conducted to examine its impact on mental health of teachers around the world. However, very few have focused on the universal factors that contributed to mental stress of teachers around the world. This paper reviews studies from different countries and highlights the most common factors that led to the mental stress of teachers during the pandemic. After reviewing the literature, three major themes were formed: Increased Workload, Student Teacher Relationship, and Adjusting to New Normal. Suggestions on how to help teachers during future such emergencies are also included. The goal of this paper is to understand how the pandemic impacted the mental health of teachers globally and to provide school administrators, policymakers, and other education stakeholders with information that can support teachers in the event of future such emergencies.

Keywords: Covid-19, mental health, global, teachers, international, factors

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/16-11-07

Publication date: October 30th 2025