Potential Associations Between Psychological Distress and Ambient Air Quality Among Secondary School Teachers in New Jersey

Cross-sectional surveys of psychological distress using the Kessler-6 tool (K6+) were conducted among training cohorts per year of New Jersey (NJ) secondary school teachers between January 2022 and December 2024. Data downloaded for 12-18 annual virtual synchronous live session training date ranges related to specified teacher cohorts, consisting of 30 calendar days prior to its date to relate to K6+ questions (575 unique participants across 42 total live sessions). Utilizing data from federal/state air quality monitoring stations (AQMS), we constructed a database of estimated exposures to ambient/outdoor air quality. Cohorts were broken down by school district (SD) and paired with AQMS based on approximate geographic proximity for each SD's school's physical address utilizing NJ-GeoWeb. Once addresses were reported and associated with two AQMS, associated reviewed daily criteria pollutant data (2021-2024) were retrieved for particulate matter (PM, PM₁₀ and PM_2.5) and ozone. Data were averaged for relevant stations. Analyses suggested prior 30-day PM_2.5 showed a significant negative correlation with K6+ scores, -0.32 with PM_2.5 concentration (<i>p</i> = 0.04) and -0.48 with PM_2.5 AQI (<i>p</i> = 0.002); however, wind speed had a positive association, 0.33, with K6+ scores (<i>p</i> = 0.03). These results suggested how specific events and meteorological conditions affected ambient air quality for only some of the prior 30 days yet still potentially influenced K6+ scores for some cohorts, e.g., large wildfires then prevailing winds. More research with improved exposure assessment is warranted. This initial environmental epidemiology study with ecological design can inform future collaborative research and practice work on mental health and the effects of environmental factors.