The Comparison of Mental Health between Athlete and Non-Athlete Teachers in Schools of Education in Gilan Province

Abstract

Goals: Mental health is one of the most important aspects of society health assessment and plays an important role in the dynamism and efficiency of each society. The purpose of this study was to compare mental health between athlete and non-athlete teachers in schools of education in Gilan province.Methodology: This causal-comparative study was conducted on the descriptiveanalysis method. The statistical sample of this study was 600 male and female physical education teachers and male and female non-physical education teachers in schools of Gilan province. The instrument of this study was included Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). The collected data were classified by descriptive statistical methods and were analyzed by independent T-test. Results:The score mean of mental health in physical education teachers was 20.25% and the score mean of mental health in non-physical education teachers was 31.11%. The results showed that there was a significant difference between two groups in depression, social dysfunction and anxiety subscales (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between two groups in the somatic symptoms subscale (P>0.05). Conclusion:Physical activities seem to be necessary as an appropriate, easy and inexpensive approach to increase mental health among teachers. Authorities can lead the society towards physical and mental health through the planning in the field of exercise and physical activity for teachers and the encouragement them to sports activities.