The Resilience of South African School Teachers During the Pandemic: The Interrelationship Between Resilience, Fear of COVID-19, and Psychological Distress

School closures in South Africa were part of government efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 disease outbreak; however, these closures deepened socioeconomic disparities and widened the digital divide. Conventional teaching was reinstated in June 2020, generating significant fear and distress for many school teachers due to the heightened risk of contagion. Nevertheless, there has been significant variability in teachers' mental health responses to the pandemic and related school closures and reopenings. It is necessary to study these population differences to understand the psychological processes involved in coping with COVID-19-related stressors. This study adds to the knowledge base regarding protective factors in mental health outcomes among school teachers in developing settings by investigating the potential indirect effect of resilience on indices of psychological distress through fear of COVID-19. South African school teachers (n = 355) completed the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and Beck Hopelessness Scale. Age, gender, and teaching experience were significantly related to mental health outcomes. A mediation analysis revealed that resilience can influence experiences of fear of COVID-19, which, in turn, impacts depression and hopelessness. Assessing resilience among teachers may facilitate targeted interventions and effective public health responses in the future.