Abstract
The transition from student teacher to professional teacher is widely recognised as a critical phase during which newly qualified teachers—those in their first one to three years of teaching after qualification—are particularly vulnerable to psychological distress. While teacher mental health has been extensively studied on an international scale, research within the South African context—particularly focusing on newly qualified teachers—remains limited. For this reason, this study aimed to explore the mental health experiences of newly qualified secondary school teachers in the Tshwane North Education District, with specific attention to identifying associated risk and protective factors. A generic qualitative research design, with a social-constructivist paradigm, was utilised for this study. Eight newly qualified teachers in the Tshwane North Education district participated in this study―three from a low socio-economic school (quintile 1) and five from higher socio-economic schools (quintile 5). Data was gathered through the DSM-5 TR Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure—Adult, semi-structured individual interviews and a focus group discussion. The mental health tests were not used quantitatively, but assisted in providing a qualitative profile for each participant. Thematic analysis revealed significant risk factors, such as high workload, administrative burden, workplace environment and its challenges, and the emotional impact of teaching. Protective factors include strong support systems, effective coping strategies, positive personal qualities, and job satisfaction and fulfilment. Findings highlighted the contextual role of socio-economic disparities, with differences observed between teachers in resource-constrained and more affluent school settings. The study contributes to research by applying the biopsychosocial theory to teacher mental health within a South African context, thereby extending existing literature that is broadly international in scope. Recommendations were made for holistic support strategies and future research that includes larger, longitudinal, and intervention-based studies.