Student and Staff Mental Health in a Post-COVID Era: Perspectives of Secondary Educators

Abstract Adolescent mental health has continued to decline in recent years, and adolescents are experiencing many adverse effects (e.g., anxiety, depression, and self-harm) of the COVID-19 pandemic. These mental health challenges can negatively influence student academic and socioemotional functioning in the school setting. To better understand student and staff mental health in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, 15 secondary-level staff members participated in semi-structured interviews to gain a nuanced understanding of current mental health needs and the multidirectional relationship between student and staff mental health, the effects of COVID-19 on student socioemotional, psychological, and academic outcomes, and educator response to balancing and addressing mental health needs in their school. Utilizing reflexive thematic analysis, four main themes emerged: (1) the Mental Health Needs of Students Are “Varied and Vast”; (2) Student Mental Health Has Broad Impacts; (3) the Impact of the Pandemic Broadly Influenced Students and Staff; and (4) Staff Struggle To Manage their Own Mental Health Needs in Relation To, and in Addition To, Student Mental Health Needs. Each theme also elicited several subthemes to further elucidate understanding of the educators’ perspectives. Study limitations and implications for practice are discussed.