Abstract:

During the past fifteen years, the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) was used extensively to screen Chinese kindergarten teachers. However, results of these studies have been inconsistent. To synthesize inconsistent findings and draw conclusions about this literature to date, the present meta-analysis analyzed 37 primary studies including 42 independent samples. Analyses indicated that, (1) the mental health of included preschool teachers did not differ from SCL-90 norms and better than the primary and middle school teachers; (2) the moderating effects of location and Kindergarten ownership were partially significant; (3) Moderating effects of divorce rate and educational appropriations were also significant. The positive spectrum of mental heath and the causal relationships between stress, resources and mental health of kindergarten teachers warrant more attention in future research.

Key words: kindergarten teacher, mental health, SCL-90, Meta analysis, impact of social environment, psychological problem