School setting and teaching experience as risk factors for depressive symptoms in teachers

A representative sample of teachers working at the primary or secondary grade level in both public and private schools answered an anonymous questionnaire on sociodemographic information and completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Rating Scale for Depression (CES-D). The teachers were classified as depressed when they scored 16 on the CES-D; 27.5% of the subjects were above this cut-off score. Logistic regression was used to calculate a multivariate model with the variables school ownership, grade level and teaching experience. Working in a public school, teaching at the primary level and longer teaching experience all increased the risk of depressive symptomatology.