Impact of trust relationships on teacher well-being: Validation with longitudinal design and multilevel model

• A multilevel longitudinal analysis found changes in trust and well-being over time. • Trust relationships surrounding teachers had a causal effect on their well-being. • Fostering stable trust relationships over time influenced teacher well-being. • Principal trust most strongly influenced work engagement. • Colleague trust strongly influenced depressive symptoms and subjective well-being. This study aimed to elucidate the impact of trust relationships surrounding teachers on teacher well-being. Three online surveys were administered to elementary and junior high school teachers in Japan between Fiscal Years 2021 and 2023 (the Japanese fiscal calendar runs from April 1st to March 31st of the following year). A total of 3153 teachers who responded to all three surveys were included in the analysis. The school-focused longitudinal design required an analytical model that captured variance at both the individual and school levels over time. A multilevel model (generalized linear mixed model) for the longitudinal design was developed to fulfil these analytical requirements, and the subsequent analysis yielded the following findings. First, trust relationships surrounding teachers (student trust, parent trust, colleague trust, and principal trust) causally influenced teacher well-being (work engagement, depressive symptoms, and subjective well-being), even after controlling for individual, job, and school characteristics. Second, the establishment of a stable and high level of trust relationships surrounding teachers developed over several years and significantly enhanced teacher well-being. These results confirm the critical role of a sustained culture of trust in improving teachers’ well-being. Third, principal trust exerted the most significant effect on work engagement, whereas colleague trust predominantly affected both depressive symptoms and subjective well-being. This study confirmed that teachers' well-being is decisively influenced by trust relationships with their surroundings, even in a longitudinal design. The findings suggest that principals should implement in-school training programs and a mentoring system to build trust among colleague and improve teachers’ well-being.