Youth Exposed to Armed Conflict: The Homeroom Teacher as a Protective Agent Promoting Student Resilience

Armed conflict poses a significant threat to the mental health of youth worldwide. This study focused on the role of teachers as protective agents fostering resilience among their students. The study examined the moderating effects of teachers’ personal well-being and their efficacy in the school on relations between their students’ armed conflict exposure and student psychiatric symptoms. Participants included 1260 students and their homeroom teachers from 62 8–11th grade classes. Using self-report standardized measures, teachers reported their life satisfaction and sense of efficacy while students reported their armed conflict exposure and psychiatric symptoms. Data were analyzed using a multilevel modeling (MLM) approach. Findings revealed positive correlations between student armed conflict exposure and psychiatric symptoms. In the between-class level of analysis, teacher personal life satisfaction and efficacy in participation in the school system emerged as protective factors for the students, significantly moderating relations between student exposure and their psychiatric symptoms. However, teacher efficacy in class management showed no significant moderating effect on student mental-health difficulties. Results highlight the importance of supporting teachers in conflict-affected environments and emphasize the need for preventive and therapeutic initiatives that prioritize teacher well-being and organizational resources to enhance teachers’ capacity to foster student resilience.