Predicting Anxiety in Secondary School Teachers: A Transdiagnostic Approach

(1) Background: Teacher mental health is a growing concern due to the high emotional and professional demands of teaching. Anxiety is particularly prevalent among teachers, yet it is often conceptualized as a unitary construct, overlooking its multidimensional nature. This study examined the role of transdiagnostic psychological variables and sociodemographic factors as predictors of different dimensions of anxiety (physical, cognitive, and social) in secondary school teachers. (2) Methods: A total of 444 Spanish secondary school teachers (Mage = 41.76, SD = 10.80; 50% women) participated. Data were collected via an online questionnaire. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional design was used. Pearson correlations and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to analyze associations and predictive relationships. (3) Results: Anxiety showed a multidimensional structure, with hierarchical regression models explaining a substantial proportion of variance (R² = 0.26-0.47). Transdiagnostic psychological variables accounted for the largest increases in explained variance beyond sociodemographic and work-related factors. Intolerance of uncertainty was the most consistent predictor across all anxiety dimensions, whereas fear of negative evaluation was the strongest predictor of social anxiety and was also associated with physical and cognitive anxiety. Procrastination predicted cognitive and social anxiety. Female teachers reported higher anxiety levels, while teaching experience showed a protective effect on cognitive anxiety. (4) Conclusions: Findings support a transdiagnostic framework and highlight the central role of psychological processes, particularly intolerance of uncertainty and fear of negative evaluation, in explaining teacher anxiety. Interventions targeting these shared mechanisms may contribute to improving teachers' mental health and wellbeing.