Stress Mindset and Psychological Distress in Primary and Secondary School Teachers: The Serial Mediating Role of Future Control and Burnout

Abstract

Background/Objectives: As China prioritizes a high-quality teacher workforce, teachers’ mental health has gained growing attention. The stress-is-enhancing mindset has been linked to adaptive psychological functioning, but evidence among teachers remains limited. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, this study examined the associations among the stress-is-enhancing mindset, future control, burnout, and psychological distress, focusing on potential psychological processes related to teachers’ mental health. Methods: A sample of 1082 primary and secondary school teachers from four provinces in China completed measures of the stress-is-enhancing mindset, future control, burnout, and psychological distress. Indirect associations among these variables were examined. Results: The findings indicated that the stress-is-enhancing mindset was associated with lower psychological distress and burnout, as well as greater future control. The association between the stress-is-enhancing mindset and psychological distress involved indirect associations through future control and burnout, including a sequential indirect pathway. Conclusions: The stress-is-enhancing mindset is associated with lower psychological distress, with indirect associations observed through future control and burnout. Because the data were cross-sectional, the temporal ordering and causal status of these pathways remain to be established.