Symptoms of depression and stress hinder professors’ creativity: a study during the pandemic

Pederiva, Vanessa; Rossa, Isadora; Andretta, Ilana

doi:10.1590/1982-0275202441e220064

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Estudos de Psicologia (Campinas)

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Sumário

RESEARCH REPORT | School and Educational Psychology • Estud. psicol. 41 • 2024 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0275202441e220064 copy

Symptoms of depression and stress hinder professors’ creativity: a study during the pandemic

Sintomas de depressão e estresse barram a criatividade de professores: estudo durante a pandemia

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

Objective

This study sought to analyze wheter a correlation exists between symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress and barriers to personal creativity among higher education professors, as well as to examine and discuss whether these negative symptoms predict barriers to creativity.

Method

A total of 386 professors from higher education institutions in Brazil participated in the study, completing an online questionnaire at the end of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The following instruments were used: Sociodemographic Data Questionnaire; Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale; and Inventory of Barriers to Personal Creativity.

Results

The results showed that symptoms of depression and stress hinder the expression of creativity, with depression being particularly significant as it explained all barriers to creativity.

Conclusion

Negative symptoms interfere with the quality of life and well-being of professors, and consequently impact the work environment and the expression of creativity for problem-solving.

Keywords
Barriers; Creativity; Health mental; Higher education

Sociodemographic Data		%	n
Teaching Institution
	Private	34.7	134
	Public	60.1	232
	Public and Private	5.2	20
Region of residency
	South	40.9	158
	Southeast	17.6	68
	Midwest	14.5	56
	North	7.0	27
	Northeast	19.9	77
Area of training
	Health	25.9	100
	Applied social sciences	19.9	77
	Humanities	17.4	67
	Exact and Earth Sciences	9.6	37
	Biological Sciences	9.6	37
	Engineering	7.8	30
	Linguistics, Literature, and Arts	5.4	21
	Agricultural Sciences	3.1	12

Variables	Mean	Median	Standard Deviation	Cronbach’s Alpha
Depression	08.71	0 6.0	09.28	0.90
Anxiety	0 7.07	04.0	08.58	0.88
Stress	14.24	07.0	10.23	0.89
DASS-21 total	30.03	25.0	25.26	0.95
Inhibition/Shyness	65.77	64.5	23.85	0.95
Lack of Time/Opportunity	043.00	44.0	13.77	0.91
Social Repression	35.39	35.0	13.09	0.90
Lack of Motivation	49.52	47.0	18.97	0.93
Barriers Total	193.68	192.0	61.26	0.97

Emotional Symptoms	Inhibition/Shyness	Lack of Time/Opportunity	Social Repression	Lack of Motivation	Barriers Total
Depression	0.342^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.315^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.334^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.379^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.401^ p ≤ 0.001.
Anxiety	0.289^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.261^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.307^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.244^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.318^ p ≤ 0.001.
Stress	0.286^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.300^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.332^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.273^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.347^ p ≤ 0.001.
DASS-21 total	0.334^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.320^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.354^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.325^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.389^ p ≤ 0.001.

Barriers to Personal Creativity	DASS-21	Beta	t	Adjusted R²
Inhibition/Shyness	Depression	0.361	7.591^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.128
Lack of Time/Opportunity	Stress	0.193	2.927^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.087
Lack of Time/Opportunity	Depression	0.156	2.360^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.098
Social Repression	Stress	0.213	3.260^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.105
Social Repression	Depression	0.169	2.595^* * p ≤ 0.05;	0.118
Lack of Motivation	Depression	0.331	6.862^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.107
Barriers Total	Depression	0.276	4.303^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.138
Barriers Total	Stress	0.145	2.255^* * p ≤ 0.05;	0.147

Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas Núcleo de Editoração SBI - Campus II, Av. John Boyd Dunlop, s/n. Prédio de Odontologia, 13060-900 Campinas - São Paulo Brasil, Tel./Fax: +55 19 3343-7223 - Campinas - SP - Brazil
E-mail: psychologicalstudies@puc-campinas.edu.br

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[1] Correspondence to: V. PEDERIVA. E-mail: vanessa-246@hotmail.com.

Emotional Symptoms	Inhibition/Shyness	Lack of Time/Opportunity	Social Repression	Lack of Motivation	Barriers Total
Depression	0.342^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.315^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.334^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.379^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.401^ p ≤ 0.001.
Anxiety	0.289^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.261^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.307^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.244^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.318^ p ≤ 0.001.
Stress	0.286^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.300^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.332^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.273^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.347^ p ≤ 0.001.
DASS-21 total	0.334^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.320^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.354^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.325^ p ≤ 0.001.	0.389^ p ≤ 0.001.