Emotion Regulation and Depression Among Preschool Teachers: Mediating Roles of Social Support and Emotional Labor

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Early Childhood in China (Table 10)

Abstract

The mental health of early childhood education (ECE) teachers has garnered increasing attention, with depressive symptoms becoming a significant concern due to their negative impact on both the teachers and the children they educate. This study investigates the mediating roles of emotional labor and perceived social support in the relationship between difficulties in emotion regulation and depressive symptoms, using a sample of 393 Chinese ECE teachers. Path analysis results indicated that difficulties in emotion regulation were directly associated with increased depressive symptoms and indirectly through perceived social support. Emotional labor did not significantly mediate this relationship. These findings highlight the importance of enhancing social support systems and developing strategies to address emotion regulation difficulties among ECE teachers.

Authors

• Tianxing Pang, City University of Hong Kong

• Runke Huang, Chinese University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen

• Xiangyu Zhao, University of Virginia