Stress, support and psychological symptoms among guidance and non-guidance secondary school teachers in Hong Kong

The perceived stress, support and psychological symptom levels were assessed in a sample of 415 guidance and non-guidance secondary school teachers in Hong Kong. Results indicated that, regardless of gender and guidance status, teachers with low stress and high support levels generally reported less general psychological symptoms, and teachers with high support level reported less specific symptoms related to anxiety and sleep problems, social dysfunctioning and severe depression with suicidal ideas. Although the levels of general and specific psychological symptoms of teachers were lower than those of general psychiatric patients, they were no higher than those of nurses and undergraduate students, yielding no evidence that the teaching profession was more stressful than other occupational groups.