The Interactive Roles of Teachers’ Spiritual Well-Being and Psychological Capital on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress

Öz

The aim of this study is to contribute to evidence-based intervention strategies to support teachers’ mental health by investigating the effects of teachers’ levels of spiritual well-being on depression, anxiety and stress, and the mechanisms underlying these effects. This study was conducted between February and May 2025 on 299 teacher working in various schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in Turkey. Data were collected using a personal information form, a spiritual well-being scale, a mental health scale and a psychological capital scale. Analyses were carried out using statistical packages. The results showed that teachers’ spiritual well-being was negatively related to depression, anxiety and stress and positively related to psychological capital. In addition, psychological capital was negatively related to these mental health variables and played a mediating role in the relationship between spiritual well-being and mental health indicators. These findings suggest that individual resources such as spiritual well-being and psychological capital can positively influence teachers’ mental health by increasing their psychological resilience. In this regard, the study aims to contribute to the existing literature and suggest new areas of intervention to strengthen mental health.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Psychology of Religion
• Spiritual Well-Being
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Psychological Capital

Öğretmenlerin Manevi İyi Oluş ve Psikolojik Sermayelerinin Depresyon, Kaygı ve Stresleri Üzerindeki Etkileşimsel Rolleri

Öz

Çalışmanın amacı, öğretmenlerin manevi iyi oluş düzeyinin depresyon, anksiyete ve stres üzerindeki etkilerini ve bu etkilerin altında yatan mekanizmaları araştırmaktır. Bu çalışma, Şubat–Mayıs 2025 tarihleri arasında Türkiye’de Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı’na bağlı çeşitli okullarda görev yapmakta olan 299 öğretmen üzerinde yürütülmüştür. Veriler, kişisel bilgi formu, manevi iyi oluş ölçeği, ruh sağlığı ölçeği ve psikolojik sermaye ölçeği kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Analizler IBM SPSS AMOS ve SPSS eklenti modülü PROCESS istatistik paketi kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Sonuçlar, öğretmenlerin manevi iyi oluş düzeyinin depresyon, kaygı ve stresle negatif, psikolojik sermayeyle pozitif ilişkili olduğunu göstermiştir. Ayrıca, psikolojik sermaye çalışma kapsamında ele alınan ruh sağlığı değişkenleriyle negatif ilişkili olduğu bulgulanmış ve manevi iyi oluş düzeyi ile ruh sağlığı göstergeleri arasındaki ilişkide aracı rol oynadığı tespit edilmiştir. Bu bulgular, manevi iyi oluş düzeyi ve psikolojik sermaye gibi bireysel kaynakların, öğretmenlerin psikolojik dayanıklılığını artırarak ruh sağlığını olumlu yönde etkileyebileceğini göstermektedir. Bu bağlamda, çalışma mevcut literatüre katkıda bulunmayı ve ruh sağlığını güçlendirmek için yeni müdahale alanları önermektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Din Psikolojisi
• Manevi İyi Oluş
• Depresyon
• Anksiyete
• Stres
• Psikolojik Sermaye

Kaynakça

1. Altuntaş, Murat, Elif Öztürk, ve Selin Arikin. 2019. “Madde Bağımlılı Tedavisinde Manevi Desteğin Ekip Çalışması ile Yürütülmesi”. The Journal of Social Science 3 (5): 195-207. https://doi.org/10.30520/tjsosci.509793. google scholar 
2. Asheghi, Hadi, Mostafa Asheghi, ve Mohsen Hesari. 2020. “Mediation Role of Psychological Capital between Job Stress, Burnout, and Mental Health among Nurses”. Practice in Clinical Psychology, 99-108. https://doi.org/10.32598/jpcp.8.2.716.1. google scholar 
3. Ayten, Ali, ve Rahime Eymen Bakır. 2021. “Sporcuların Yaşam Doyumlarının Yordayıcıları Olarak Bireysel Dindarlık, Maneviyat, Alçak Gönüllülük ve Kaygı”. Dinbilimleri Akademik Araştırma Dergisi 21 (2): 589-612. https://doi.org/10.33415/daad.920575. google scholar 
4. Ayten, Ali, Gülüşan Göcen, Kenan Sevinç, ve Eyyüp E. Öztürk. 2012. “Dini Başa Çıkma, Şükür ve Hayat Memnuniyeti İlişkisi: Hastalar, Hasta Yakınları ve Hastane Çalışanları Üzerine Bir Araştırma”. Dinbilimleri Akademik Araştırma Dergisi 12 (2): 45-79.google scholar 
5. Bayram, Nuran, ve Nazan Bilgel. 2008. “The Prevalence and Socio-Demographic Correlations of Depression, Anxiety and Stress among a Group of University Students”. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 43 (8): 667-72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-008-0345-x. google scholar 
6. Clipa, Otilia, ve Amelia Boghean. 2015. “Stress Factors and Solutions for the Phenomenon of Burnout of Preschool Teachers”. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, The 6th International Conference Edu World 2014 “Education Facing Contemporary World Issues”, 7th - 9th November 2014, 180 (Mayıs):907-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.02.241. google scholar 
7. Cuevas, Ricardo, David Sánchez-Oliva, Kimberley J. Bartholomew, Nikos Ntoumanis, ve Tomás García-Calvo. 2015. “Adaptation and Validation of the Psychological Need Thwarting Scale in Spanish Physical Education Teachers”. The Spanish Journal of Psychology 18:E53. https://doi.org/10.1017/sjp.2015.56.google scholar 
8. De Klerk, J.J. 2005. “Spirituality, Meaning in Life, and Work Wellness: A Research Agenda”. International Journal of Organizational Analysis 13 (1): 64-68. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb028998. google scholar 

9. Duan, Wenjie. 2016. “The Benefits of Personal Strengths in Mental Health of Stressed Students: A Longitudinal İnvestigation”. Quality of Life Research 25 (11): 2879-88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-016-1320-8. google scholar 
10. Ekşi, Halil, ve Selami Kardaş. 2017. “Spiritual Well-Being: Scale Development and Validation”. Spiritual Psychology and Counseling 2 (1): 73-88. https://doi.org/10.12738/spc.2017.1.0022. google scholar 
11. Elinson, Lynn, Patricia Houck, Steven C. Marcus, ve Harold Alan Pincus. 2004. “Depression and the Ability to Work”. Psychiatric Services 55 (1): 29-34. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.55.1.29. google scholar 
12. Erkuş, Ahmet, ve Mine Afacan Fındıklı. 2013. “Psikolojik Sermayenin İş Tatmini, İş Performansı ve İşten Ayrılma Politikası Üzerindeki Etkisine Yönelik Bir Araştırma.” stanbul Üniversitesi İşletme Fakültesi Dergisi 42 (2): 302-18. google scholar 
13. Frankl, Viktor E. 2018. İnsanın Anlam Arayışı. Çeviren Selçuk Budak. 43. Auflage. İstanbul: Okuyan Us Yayınları. google scholar 
14. Fredrickson, Barbara L. 2001. “The Role of Positive Emotions in Positive Psychology: The Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions.” American Psychologist 56 (3): 218-26. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.218. google scholar 
15. George, Darren, ve Paul Mallery. 2006. SPSS for Windows Step by Step: A Simple Guide and Reference ; 13.0 Update. 6th ed. Boston, Mass: Pearson.google scholar 
16. Hascher, Tina, ve Jennifer Waber. 2021. “Teacher Well-Being: A Systematic Review of the Research Literature from the Year 2000–2019”. Educational Research Review 34:100411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2021.100411. google scholar 
17. Hassan, Misbah, Bin Nadeem ,Ali, ve Asma and Akhter. 2016. “Impact of Workplace Spirituality on Job Satisfaction: Mediating Effect of Trust”. Editör Tahir Nisar. Cogent Business & Management 3 (1): 1189808. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2016.1189808. google scholar 
18. Hayes, Andrew F. 2013. Introduction to Mediation, Moderation, and Conditional Process Analysis. New York: Guilford Press. google scholar 
19. ———. 2018. “Partial, Conditional and Moderated Moderated Mediation: Quantification, İnference, and İnterpretation”. Communication Monographs 85 (1): 4-40. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2017.1352100.google scholar 
20. Heus, Peter De, ve René F. W. Diekstra. 1999. “Do Teachers Burn Out More Easily? A Comparison of Teachers with Other Social Professions on Work Stress and Burnout Symptoms”. İçinde Understanding and Preventing Teacher Burnout: A Sourcebook of International Research and Practice, editör A. Michael Huberman ve Roland Vandenberghe, 269-84. The Jacobs Foundation Series on Adolescence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511527784.019. google scholar 
21. Hirsch, Jameson K., Sheri A. Nsamenang, Edward C. Chang, ve Nadine J. Kaslow. 2014. “Spiritual Well-Being and Depressive Symptoms in Female African American Suicide Attempters: Mediating Effects of Optimism and Pessimism”. Psychology of Religion and Spırıtuality 6 (4): 276-83. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036723. google scholar 
22. Hobfoll, Stevan E. 2002. “Social and Psychological Resources and Adaptation”. Review of General Psychology 6 (4): 307-24. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.6.4.307. google scholar 
23. Kahramanoğlu, Recep. 2018. “Öğretmenlik Mesleğine Yönelik Tutum Ölçeği (ÖMYTÖ) Geçerlik ve Güvenirlik Çalışm”. Journal of Turkish Studies 13 (Volume 13 Issue 11): 1669-86. https://doi.org/10.7827/TurkishStudies.13561. google scholar 
24. Kızılgeçit, Muhammed, Nesrullah Okan, Yasin Demir, Murat Çinici, Yunus Emre Temiz, Fatma Betül Toprak, Emrullah Akça, vd. 2024. “Spiritual Meaning Making and Trauma Recovery: Evaluation of a Psycho-Social Intervention for Earthquake Survivors in Turkey”. Journal of Religion and Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-024-02183-5. google scholar 
25. Koenig, Harold G. 2012. “Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications”. ISRN Psychiatry 2012:1-33. https://doi.org/10.5402/2012/278730.Kula, Naci. 2002. “Deprem ve Dini Başa Çıkma”. Gazi Üniversitesi Çorum İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi 1 (1): 234-55. google scholar 
26. Leykin, Yan, Carolyn Sewell Roberts, ve Robert J. DeRubeis. 2011. “Decision-Making and Depressive Symptomatology”. Cognitive Therapy and Research 35 (4): 333-41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-010-9308-0. google scholar 
27. Liu, Li, Ying Chang, Jialiang Fu, Jiana Wang, ve Lie Wang. 2012. “The Mediating Role of Psychological Capital on the Association between Occupational Stress and Depressive Symptoms among Chinese Physicians: A Cross-Sectional Study”. BMC Public Health 12 (1): 219. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-12-219. google scholar 
28. Liu, Li, Shu Hu, Lie Wang, Guoyuan Sui, ve Lei Ma. 2013. “Positive Resources for Combating Depressive Symptoms among Chinese Male Correctional Officers: Perceived Organizational Support and Psychological Capital”. BMC Psychiatry 13 (1): 89. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-13-89. google scholar 
29. Liu, Li, Fengting Wen, Xin Xu, ve Lie Wang. 2015. “Effective Resources for İmproving Mental Health among Chinese Underground Coal Miners: Perceived Organizational Support and Psychological Capital”. Journal of Occupational Health 57 (1): 58-68. https://doi.org/10.1539/joh.14-0082-OA. google scholar 
30. Lovibond, Sydney H., ve Peter F. Lovibond. 1995. Manual for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. 2. ed. Psychology Foundation Monograph. Sydney: Psychology Foundation. google scholar 
31. Luthans, Fred, James B. Avey, Bruce J. Avolio, ve Suzanne J. Peterson. 2010. “The Development and Resulting Performance İmpact of Positive Psychological Capital”. Human Resource Development Quarterly 21 (1): 41-67. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.20034. google scholar 
32. Luthans, Fred, Bruce J. Avolio, James B. Avey, ve Steven M. Norman. 2007. “Positive Psychological Capital: Measurement and Relationship with Performance and Satisfaction”. Personnel Psychology 60 (3): 541-72. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2007.00083.x. google scholar 
33. Mahipalan, Manju, ve Sheena. 2018. “Role of Workplace Spirituality and Employee Engagement in Determining Job Satisfaction among Secondary School Teachers”. Journal of Management and Research 18 (4): 211-25. google scholar 
34. Maslow, Abraham H. 2019. İnsan Olmanın Psikolojisi. Çeviren Okhan Gündüz. İstanbul: Kuraldışı Yayınları.google scholar 
35. “Mental Health”. 2022. Word Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response. google scholar 
36. Muldoon, Maureen, ve Norman King. 1995. “Spirituality, Health Care, and Bioethics”. Journal of Religion and Health 34 (4): 329-50. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02248742. google scholar 
37. Nida Nafees ve Musaddiq Jahan. 2017. “Psychological Capital (PsyCap) and Mental Well-being among Medical Students”. International Journal of Indian Psychology 4 (3). https://doi.org/10.25215/0403.087.google scholar 
38. Pargament, Kenneth I. 1997. The Psychology of Religion and Coping: Theory, Research, Practice. New York: Guilford Press. google scholar 
39. Pargament, Kenneth I., Harold G. Koenig, Nalini Tarakeshwar, ve June Hahn. 2004. “Religious Coping Methods as Predictors of Psychological, Physical and Spiritual Outcomes among Medically Ill Elderly Patients: A Two-Year Longitudinal Study”. Journal of Health Psychology 9 (6): 713-30. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105304045366. google scholar 
40. Parviniannasab, Ali Mohammad, Mostafa Bijani, ve Ali Dehghani. 2022. “The Mediating Role of Psychological Capital in Relations between Spiritual Well-Being and Mental Health among Nursing Students”. BMC Psychology 10 (1): 230. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-022-00935-0. google scholar 
41. Pomerleau, Julie M., Kenneth I. Pargament, Neal Krause, Gail Ironson, ve Peter Hill. 2020. “Religious and Spiritual Struggles as a Mediator of the Link between Stressful Life Events and Psychological Adjustment in a Nationwide Sample.” Psychology of Religion and Spirituality 12 (4): 451-59. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000268. google scholar 
42. Rakhshanderou, Sakineh, Ali Safari-Moradabadi, ve Mohtasham Ghaffari. 2021. “Structural Equation Modeling of the Spirituality and Self-Efficacy among College Students”. Journal of Religion and Health 60 (1): 488-99. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-020-00984-y.google scholar 
43. Roffey, Sue. 2012. “Pupil Wellbeing – Teacher Wellbeing: Two Sides of the Same Coin?” Educational and Child Psychology 29 (4): 8-17. https://doi.org/10.53841/bpsecp.2012.29.4.8. google scholar 
44. Saleem, Tamkeen, ve Eeman Suleiman Hawamdeh. 2023. “Counselor Self-Efficacy, Spiritual Well-Being and Compassion Satisfaction/Fatigue among Mental Health Professionals in Pakistan”. Current Psychology 42 (16): 13785-97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02499-5. google scholar 
45. Sarıçam, Hakan. 2018. “The Psychometric Properties of Turkish Version of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) in Community and Clinical Samples”. Journal of Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy and Research 7 (1): 1. https://doi.org/10.5455/JCBPR.274847.google scholar 
46. Selvaraj, Priscilla Rose, ve Christine Suniti Bhat. 2018. “Predicting the Mental Health of College Students with Psychological Capital”. Journal of Mental Health 27 (3): 279-87. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2018.1469738. google scholar 
47. Skaalvik, Einar M., ve Sidsel Skaalvik. 2017. “Still Motivated to Teach? A Study of School Context Variables, Stress and Job Satisfaction among Teachers in Senior High School”. Social Psychology of Education 20 (1): 15-37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-016-9363-9. google scholar 
48. Song, Ruijun, ve Lijun Song. 2024. “The Relation between Psychological Capital and Depression: A Meta-Analysis”. Current Psychology 43 (20): 18056-64. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05626-0. google scholar 
49. Stack, Steven. 1983. “The Effect of Religious Commitment on Suicide: A Cross-National Analysis”. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 24 (4): 362. https://doi.org/10.2307/2136402. google scholar 
50. Stewart, Walter F. 2003. “Cost of Lost Productive Work Time among US Workers with Depression”. JAMA 289 (23): 3135. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.289.23.3135.google scholar 
51. Turliuc, Maria Nicoleta, ve Octav Sorin Candel. 2022. “The Relationship between Psychological Capital and Mental Health during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Mediation Model”. Journal of Health Psychology 27 (8): 1913-25. https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053211012771. google scholar 
52. Upenieks, Laura. 2023. “Spiritually Well, Mentally Well? Examining the Early Life Religious Antecedents of the Impact of Spiritual Well-Being on Mental Health among United Methodist Clergy in North Carolina”. Journal of Religion and Health 62 (4): 2656-85. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-023-01822-7. google scholar 
53. Vural, Muhammed Enes. 2021. “Hayatın Anlamı, Dindarlık ve Ruh Sağlığı ilişkisi: Bir Karma Yöntem Araştırması”. Doktora Tezi, İstanbul: Marmara Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü İlahiyat Ana Bilim Dalı Felsefe ve Din Bilimleri Bilim Dalı. google scholar 
54. Weber, Samuel R., ve Kenneth I. Pargament. 2014. “The Role of Religion and Spirituality in Mental Health”. Current Opinion in Psychiatry 27 (5): 358-63. https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0000000000000080.google scholar 
55. Woloshyn, Vera, ve Michael Savage. 2020. “Increasing Teacher Candidates’ Mental Health Literacy and Stress Coping Skills through an Elective Mental Health and Wellness Course”. International Journal of Inclusive Education 24 (9): 921-35. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2018.1497097. google scholar 
56. Yalom, Irvin D. 2018. Varoluşçu Psikoterapi. Çeviren Zeliha Babayiğit. İstanbul: Pegasus Yayınları. google scholar 
57. Yapıcı, Asım. 2017. “Ruh Sağlığı ve din”. İçinde Din Psikolojisi Bireysel Dindarlık Üzerine. Adana: Karahan Yayınları. google scholar 
58. Yu, Xianglian, Lin Zhang, Zihong Lin, Zongkui Zhou, Dilana Hazer-Rau, Pinlin Li, Wenlong Ji, Hanbing Zhang, ve Tong Wu. 2021. “Ostracism, Psychological Capital, Perceived Social Support and Depression among Economically Disadvantaged Youths: A Moderated Mediation Model”. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18 (21): 11282. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111282. google scholar 
59. Zagni, Benedetta, Gerardo Pellegrino, Dario Ianes, ve Sara Scrimin. 2025. “Unraveling Teacher Stress: A Cumulative Model of Risks and Protective Factors in Italian schools”. International Journal of Educational Research 131:102603. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2025.102603. google scholar