[Prevalence of common mental disorders among schoolteachers in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil].

Research worldwide has shown that schoolteachers are at increased risk of physical and mental stress due to material or psychological difficulties associated with their work. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of mental disorders among schoolteachers in the municipal school system in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, and to investigate associated work-related factors. A cross-sectional study was carried out including all 1st and 2nd grade schoolteachers in the Northeast region of the city. A self-applied questionnaire with six sets of questions was applied. Common mental disorders in the target population were assessed using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). 751 of the 792 schoolteachers (94.8%) participated in the study. Mental disorders were significantly associated with: positive history of violence, deficient workplace conditions and comfort, low creativity and autonomy for development of work, and insufficient time for preparing course work. The results show that mental disorders are an important health problem among schoolteachers and provide some inputs on how working conditions could be improved to relieve teachers' mental strain.