New CDC Foundation Report Delves into Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Teachers and Parents 2021-05-25 Report details significant factors associated with mental health for parents and teachers A new report about the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on teachers and parents of K-12 students finds that parents of K-12 students may be experiencing slightly higher levels of mental health distress based on pre-pandemic national estimates. They also found that teachers’ mental health has been affected by new instructional challenges and barriers to implementing COVID-19 prevention measures. The report was based on online survey, focus groups with parents, teachers, and superintendents, and social media posts. Some of the key findings of the report include: Parents 16% of parents report that their mental health was poor for 14 or more days in the past month Parents experiencing involuntary unemployment and lower incomes more likely to experience frequent mental distress than other parents Parents whose child knows someone who is high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19 have higher proportions of mental health distress Teachers 27% of teachers self reported symptoms consistent with clinical depression and 37% self reported symptoms consistent with generalized anxiety 53% of teachers say they are thinking of leaving the profession more now than they were before the pandemic (February 2020) Teachers reporting that their students are still 100% virtual as of March 2021 had higher rates of depression and anxiety symptoms than other teachers Read the Summary Report