Mental health, absences from work, stress and satisfaction in a sample of New Zealand primary school teachers.

A study of 296 primary school teachers in New Zealand revealed a very low correlation between mental health, measured by the General Health Questionnaire, and absence from work. The correlations between mental health and feelings of stress at work and between mental health and job satisfaction were higher. The most highly rated sources of stress were ranked, as were the most highly rated sources of satisfaction. It is suggested that teachers' experiences of stress are associated with lack of satisfaction with intrinsic aspects of their job rather than with dissatisfaction at their conditions of employment.