Teacher depressive symptoms and children's school readiness in Ghana

• Published in: Child development Vol. 94; no. 3; pp. 706 - 720
• Main Authors: Peele, Morgan, Wolf, Sharon, Behrman, Jere R., Aber, J. Lawrence
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley 01.05.2023; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Academic readiness; Child; Child, Preschool; Childhood; Children; Depression (Psychology); Depression - epidemiology; Early childhood education; Early Childhood Teachers; Emotional Development; Emotions; Executive function; Foreign Countries; Ghana - epidemiology; Health education; Health promotion; Humans; Interpersonal Competence; Kindergarten; Mental depression; Mental health; Numeracy; Predictor Variables; School Readiness; School Teachers; Schools; Social Skills; Students - psychology; Symptoms; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Teachers; Time Factors (Learning); Young Children; Ghana
• ISSN: 0009-3920; 1467-8624
• DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13909

This study investigated associations between kindergarten teachers' (N = 208) depressive symptoms and students' (Ghanaian nationals, N = 1490, Mage = 5.8) school‐readiness skills (early literacy, early numeracy, social–emotional skills, and executive function) across 208 schools in Ghana over one school year. Teachers' depressive symptoms in the fall negatively predicted students' overall school‐readiness skills in the spring, controlling for school‐readiness skills in the fall. These results were primarily driven by social–emotional skills (r = .1–.3). There was evidence of heterogeneity by students' fall skill levels; teacher depressive symptoms predicted more negative spring overall school readiness for children who had higher fall school‐readiness skills. Findings underscore the importance of teachers' mental health in early childhood education globally, with implications for policy and practice.