Background Primary and secondary school teachers suffer great internal and external pressure and are prone to experience negative emotions such as anxiety. Available studies show that selfesteem, coping style, and state anxiety are closely related, but there is no such research focusing on primary and secondary school teachers.

Objective The study explores the relationship between self-esteem and state anxiety of primary and secondary school teachers, and analyzes the role of coping style in the relationship.

Methods A total of 598 teachers from 19 primary and secondary schools in Anhui Province were selected by cluster random sampling method. Self-Esteem Scale (SES), Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were distributed. One-sample t test was used to compare the difference between the scale scores and the theoretical mean values; independent-sample t test and variance analysis for the differences in self-esteem, coping style, and state anxiety scores among teachers with different demographic characteristics; one-way analysis of variance for the differences in coping style and state anxiety among teachers with different self-esteem levels; Harman single factor test for a common method bias in the data of this study to control data quality; Pearson correlation analysis for the correlation of different variables. PROCESS plugin by Hayes was used to analyze the potential mediating effect.

Results A total of 562 valid questionnaires were collected. The scores of self-esteem and positive coping style of the primary and secondary school teachers were (29.60±3.22) and (1.98±0.54) respectively, significantly higher than the theoretical means (25 and 1.5 respectively) (t=33.801, t=21.015; P < 0.001); while the scores of negative coping style (1.06±0.49) and state anxiety (40.10±8.87) were significantly lower than the theoretical means (1.5 and 50 respectively) (t=-21.235, -26.461, P < 0.001). The self-esteem scores of teachers who had worked for 0-5 years and 6-10 years were lower than the score of those who had worked for >16 years, their state anxiety scores were higher, and the negative coping style score of teachers who had worked for 0-5 years was lower than that of teachers who had worked for >16 years (P < 0.05). The coping style and state anxiety scores of teachers with different self-esteem levels were statistically different (P < 0.001). Self-esteem levels were positively correlated with positive coping scores (r=0.335, P < 0.01), and negatively correlated with negative coping scores (r=-0.096, P < 0.05) and state anxiety scores (r=-0.551, P < 0.01). Positive coping scores were negatively correlated with state anxiety scores (r=-0.376, P < 0.01). After controlling the variables of gender, school type, education attainment, and working experience, self-esteem levels had a significant negative effect on state anxiety scores. Coping style played a mediating role between selfesteem levels and state anxiety scores, and the mediating effect accounted for 9% of the total indirect effect size between this index pair.

Conclusion Self-esteem could directly affect the level of state anxiety among primary and secondary school teachers, and also indirectly affect state anxiety through a mediating effect of coping style.