Anger in preschool teachers: experience, regulation and connection to mental health

Abstract

The study addresses the emotion of anger in preschool teachers – its frequency, the circumstances of its emergence, and strategies for its regulation – as well as the occurrence of mental health problems in preschool teachers and their connection to emotion regulation. The sample comprised 143 preschool teachers from various kindergartens in Slovenia (Mage = 38.79; SDage = 10.16). The preschool teachers reported rarely experiencing anger in the preschool context and thinking about it at home. They specified its different sources, such as children, parents, colleagues and leadership, and described several circumstances of anger emergence. The preschool teachers use various strategies to regulate their anger, most of which are used moderately. On average, the preschool teachers did not report having mental health problems, although 48.8% of them had a sum score indicating such problems. The only significant correlation was confirmed between mental health and the emotion regulation strategy of substance use.