Do teachers have more health problems? Results from a French cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND: Although only a few studies have been published on teachers' health, certain ideas are widely accepted, such as for example, the preconceived notion that teachers suffer from an excessively high rate of mental health problems. The objective of this study is to compare teachers' mental and physical health to that of a control group. METHODS: A cross-sectional postal survey was conducted among a sample of 3,679 teachers and 1,817 non-teachers aged 20 to 60 years old. RESULTS: No lifetime prevalence of any psychiatric disorder (with the exception of undifferentiated somatoform disorder in men) or mean scores of psychological distress were found to be significantly higher in teachers. However, multiple analyses, adjusted for all confounding variables, revealed a higher risk of lifetime anxiety disorders in male teachers. On the other hand, significant differences were observed for some physical ailments: a higher lifetime prevalence of rhinopharyngitis/laryngitis in both male and female teachers, of conjunctivitis and lower urinary tract infection in male teachers and of bronchitis, eczema/dermatitis and varicose veins in female teachers. No significant difference was found for chronic pain between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Teachers do not seem to have poorer mental health. However, their physical condition is characterized by a higher prevalence of health problems related to the ENT tract, and to a lesser extent, depending on the gender, to skin, eyes, legs and lower urinary tract

Fictionalised stories co-produced with disadvantaged children and young people: uses with professionals

Satchwell explores the uses of a set of fictionalised short stories produced in a participatory research project with disadvantaged children and young people. The stories represent challenges and issues as expressed by young people themselves, such as bullying, family break-up, domestic violence, living with autism, and were constructed in complex collaborative ways which arguably increase their resonance and relevance for others. This chapter discusses evaluation of the stories with a range of professionals and students, who have considered them as resources for working with young people who face similar problems. Satchwell includes both positive and negative reactions to the stories, raising questions of reception and intention, realism and safety, and the affordances of fiction in working with young people as both creators and audiences