Mental Health and Personality Adjustment of Filipino Special Education Teachers: Foundation for a Mentorship Framework

Abstract

This study assessed mental health status and personality adjustment among Filipino special education (SPED) teachers in the Clark County School District, Nevada, as a basis for a mentorship framework in inclusive education. A quantitative descriptive-correlational design was employed, using purposive sampling and responses reported for 465 Filipino SPED teachers. Mental health assets and liabilities were measured using the Mental Health Analysis, Adult Series Form A; home, health, social, emotional, and occupational adjustment were assessed using the Revised Bell Adjustment Inventory. Descriptive statistics, group-comparison procedures, and Spearman rank correlations were applied. Respondents were predominantly aged 40–49 years (51.0%), female (62.6%), and married (65.2%); most handled middle-level classes (57.0%). All five mental health asset components were categorized as good, whereas four liability components were classified as low and physical defects as normal. The personality adjustment scores of men and women were generally interpreted as good or excellent. Several mental health and adjustment components differed significantly across age, civil status, educational attainment, teaching experience, or class assignment, while sex differences were mostly nonsignificant. Mental health assets had variable, generally weak associations with adjustment; nervous manifestations showed the strongest associations across the five adjustment domains (Spearman ρ = −0.497 to −0.509, all p < .001). The findings informed a proposed mentorship framework integrating psychosocial support, professional coaching, collegial participation, work–life balance, and evaluation. The framework is proposed rather than experimentally validated.