To cross a road safely, pedestrians estimate the time remaining until an approaching vehicle arrives at their location (time-to-collision, TTC). For visually presented accelerated objects, however, TTC estimates are known to show a first-order pattern indicating that acceleration is not adequately considered. We investigated whether added vehicle sound can reduce these estimation errors. Twenty-five participants estimated the TTC of vehicles approaching with constant velocity or accelerating, from a pedestrian’s perspective at the curb in a traffic simulation. For visually-only presented accelerating vehicles, the TTC estimates showed the expected first-order pattern and thus large estimation errors. With added vehicle sound, the first-order pattern was largely removed, and TTC estimates were significantly more accurate compared to the visual-only presentation. For constant velocities, TTC estimates in both presentation conditions were predominantly accurate. Taken together, the sound of an accelerating vehicle can compensate for erroneous visual TTC estimates presumably by promoting the consideration of acceleration.

Background: Schools underwent massive changes during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic worldwide. Besides existing occupational health challenges, teachers had to deal with biological and psychological burdens that had the potential to impact their psychological well-being. The aim of the present study was to (i) assess the current state of psychological burdens in German teachers and (ii) identify highly burdened subgroups to derive and address interventions. Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional online survey was conducted among teachers at all school types in Germany in March 2021. Data on psychological strains were assessed using established (e.g., PHQ-4) and new—pandemic-specific—(e.g., COVID-19-associated anxieties) instruments. ANOVAs and Tukey’s post hoc tests were used to identify highly burdened subgroups (e.g., gender, age, and number of risk factors for severe courses of COVID-19) of teachers. Results: Psychological burdens in German teachers (N = 31.089) exceeded the level of the general population, for example, regarding symptoms of depression (PHQ-2, M = 1.93 vs. 1.24) or generalized anxiety (GAD-2, M = 1.72 vs. 1.03). Subgroup analysis revealed that psychological burdens were unevenly distributed among different groups of teachers; for example, younger teachers (18–30 years) showed more depression symptoms compared with their older colleagues (56–67 years) (PHQ-2, M = 2.01 vs. 1.78). Conclusions: The online survey was conducted during the “third wave” of SARS-CoV-2 in Germany, which might have influenced risk perception and psychological strains. Future studies at different times, ideally longitudinal monitoring of the mental health of teachers, are recommended. Based on our results, evidence-based subgroup-specific interventions should be implemented to sustain teachers’ mental health; for example, younger teachers or teachers with risk factors for a severe course of COVID‑19 should receive special attention and support. Teachers from special needs schools whose mental health is, on average, good could also be a starting point for identifying the health promotion structural elements of this school type (e.g., fewer students per teacher). However, beyond the specific pandemic-related psychological burdens, the classic occupational health challenges of physical, biological, and chemical stress and their resulting strains should not be disregarded.

Evaluation and consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection control measures in schools. Findings of focus group interviews among teachers in Germany Introduction: In order to stem the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, there were wide-ranging changes in the school setting from March 2020 onwards, characterised by changing teaching formats (alternating between distance, face-to-face and hybrid teaching) and the implementation of infection control measures. Aim and Method: The aim of the present study was to investigate the evaluation of these measures and the consequences for teachers in Germany and to formulate best practice examples for school education in the further course of the pandemic. For this purpose, focus group interviews were conducted with 17 teachers at four schools and evaluated by content analysis. Results: It was found that the teachers felt burdened by teaching under pandemic conditions and that their health behaviour had deteriorated. In addition, new pandemic-related fears arose and the implementation of infection control measures (implementation of AHA-L rules (distance, hygiene, mask, ventilation), performance of SARS-CoV-2 tests) was accompanied by workrelated and health-related problems. The quality of training of prospective teachers was also questioned. The introduction of SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations and the relatively high ranking of teachers in prioritisation was experienced as a relief and very much welcomed. In places, difficulties in communicating and implementing infection control measures were reported, resulting in the formulation of best practices, such as the implementation of SARS-CoV-2 testing by trained staff or the formulation of school form-specific measures. Conclusions: The stress caused by teaching during the pandemic and the negative development of health behaviour represent a relevant public health risk. For this reason, the idea of prevention and health promotion should or must be intensified even more during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, further developed in view of the pandemic specifics and applied in the living environments. Keywords: Corona – COVID-19 – school – teachers

Background To contribute the containment of the infections during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic, changes in working conditions occurred worldwide. In the school context, teaching was changed several times to distance learning and teachers were forced to work from home. This increasing spatial separation between work and private life increased the potential for conflicts. Based on the theoretical assumption that stressors worsen job satisfaction and resources increase satisfaction, the aim of our study was to identify the predictors of teachers’ job satisfaction during the pandemic. The focus on job satisfaction is interesting because the concept is often related to health-related aspects from a public health perspective. Methods A nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted among German teachers in March 2021. After data cleaning, 31,089 participants were included in the analyses. The survey consisted of established instruments (e.g., COPSOQ) and self-developed items if necessary. A multiple linear regression was performed to predict teachers’ job satisfaction by stepwise inclusion of sociodemographic, work-related and covid-specific variables. Results Overall, the regression revealed that especially work-related variables were strong predictors of job satisfaction. The analyses showed that higher levels of meaning of work, autonomy and predictability of work increased job satisfaction. In contrast, increased emotional stress, feelings of unfair treatment, and work-privacy conflicts deteriorated job satisfaction. Conclusions The present study identified important predictors of job satisfaction which may be used to derive specific recommendations for improving teachers’ job satisfaction during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The relevance of job satisfaction for the scientific and public discourse becomes apparent because it was closely related to teachers’ somatic and mental health. Key messages • Teachers’ job satisfaction during the pandemic can be further improved by making appropriate adjustments, particularly in work-specific requirements. • Improving job satisfaction significantly contributes to promoting teachers’ health.