Publication date: Aug 25, 2024

To assess the seroprevalence of infection-acquired SARS-CoV-2 and the mental health of school/daycare staff in the months after reopening of schools in Montreal, Quebec (Canada) in the Fall of 2020 and whether these varied by school and participant characteristics. A cross-sectional design based on a convenience sample of schools/daycares and staff was used as the originally planned longitudinal design was no longer feasible due to obstacles in recruitment, for example, teacher’s strike. Forty-nine schools/daycares in four Montreal neighbourhoods from March to October 2021. Three-hundred and sixty-two participants completed both questionnaires and serology tests. SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and prevalence of anxiety, depression, resilience and burnout/emotional exhaustion. The seroprevalence estimate made representative to the Quebec population of educators was 8. 6% (95% CI 5. 2 to 13. 0). The adjusted seroprevalence in high school was 20% that of elementary school (aRR=0. 20, 95% CI 0. 07 to 0. 58). Thirty per cent of seropositive staff were exposed to a household member with confirmed COVID-19. Prevalence of high emotional exhaustion/burnout was 35%, 44% and 53% in daycare, elementary school and high school staff, respectively. However, moderate/severe anxiety and depression and low resilience did not exceed 18%. After adjusting for confounders, being very afraid of catching COVID-19 at school was associated with moderate-severe anxiety, moderate-severe depression and high emotional exhaustion (aRR=4. 4, 95% CI 2. 2 to 8. 9; aRR=2. 8, 95% CI 1. 5 to 5. 4; aRR=2. 2, 95% CI 1. 6 to 3. 0, respectively). The seroprevalence, anxiety and depression among school/daycare staff were comparable to the reported levels in the adult population of Quebec. The prevalence of emotional exhaustion/burnout was high across all school levels and exceeding the average across all occupations in the USA and in teachers in Germany.

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