Guoying Qian: College of Preschool Education, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, People's Republic of China.
Yufeng Wu: School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 330022, People's Republic of China.
Wei Wang: Department of Psychology, Shanxi Datong University, Datong, 037009, People's Republic of China.
Ru Lei: School of Education Science, Kaili University, Kaili, 556011, People's Republic of China.
Wanli Zhang: School of Education Science, Shaanxi Xueqian Normal University, Xi'an, 710100, People's Republic of China.
Suo Jiang: Department of Applied Psychology in School of Psychiatry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, People's Republic of China.
Yingying Huang: Department of Applied Psychology in School of Psychiatry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, People's Republic of China. ORCID
Purpose: Chinese public mental health is currently characterized by a high prevalence of mental ill health and a low consultation rate, due primarily to the nation's low mental health literacy. Previous studies have shown that occupational stress may be a risk factor for mental health literacy. In China, preschool teachers are under high pressure; however, few studies have examined the mechanisms that mediate and moderate the relationship between preschool teachers' feelings of stress and their mental health literacy. Methods: A questionnaire was administered to 2352 preschool teachers to explore the relationship between their stress perceptions and mental health literacy. Results: Preschool teachers' perceived stress was significantly and negatively associated with their mental health literacy, with anxiety playing a partially mediating role. Preschool teachers' career resilience moderated the relationship between perceived stress and anxiety. Perceived stress positively predicted anxiety for teachers with low levels of career resilience; for teachers with high levels of career resilience, perceived stress still positively predicted anxiety, and the higher the level of career resilience, the weaker the positive prediction of stress perception on anxiety. Conclusion: Perceived stress directly predicted mental health literacy among preschool teachers, and also indirectly predicted mental health literacy through the mediating role of anxiety. Career resilience moderated the relationship between stress perception and anxiety. These findings provide new perspectives on the treatment and prevention of preschool teachers' mental ill health.
