Based on the proposed objective, this study followed a quantitative, cross-sectional, and explanatory design (Gil, 2017).

The descriptive data of the DASS-21 and the Inventory of Barriers to Personal Creativity are presented in Table 2, which includes the mean, median, standard deviation, and reliability index of the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as the four barriers to personal creativity and the overall total of both instruments. The mean for each of the negative symptoms fell within the normal range but approached the threshold for mild symptoms.

Table 3 presents the correlation analysis between all variables, including the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, the barriers to the expression of personal creativity, and the overall total of the instruments. From this table, it is possible to observe that all correlations were positive and significant, indicating that the higher the negative symptoms, the more barriers teachers encounter in expressing their creativity in the workplace.

The results of the regression analyses are presented in Table 4, showing that symptoms of depression predict all barriers to personal creativity, as well as the overall total of the instrument. Symptoms of stress predict barriers related to lack of time/opportunity, social repression, and the overall total of the instrument. In other words, the greater the negative symptoms of depression and stress, the greater the barriers to the expression of personal creativity. Symptoms of anxiety did not demonstrate prediction of any barriers to participants’ creativity.

As per Vignola and Tucci (2014), symptoms of depression are associated with various emotions, including embarrassment, which can negatively impact an individual’s daily performance. This understanding is consistent with the findings of the present study, in which depressive symptoms explain 12.8% of the barrier to creativity inhibition/shyness. The feeling of embarrassment generates a sense of inferiority and shyness, leading to avoidance or escape behaviors in situations that provoke it, often because the individual does not know how to deal with such emotions. This type of behavior is reinforced as it alleviates the feeling of embarrassment, thus, every time or most of the time the feeling arises, it is repeated, corroborating the individual’s discomfort and lack of safety in expressing themselves and exposing their ideas (Alencar, 2010; Beck et al., 2017).

Thus, not believing in one’s own abilities and fearing disapproval and taking risks can generate depressive symptoms, thereby hindering an individual’s ability to express themselves creatively in the work environment (Alencar, 2010). Fear is an emotion of defense when facing danger, playing a crucial role in survival as it involves biological processes for preparing responses to threats. However, when fear becomes disproportionate, it becomes detrimental to the individual and can trigger negative symptoms. Therefore, it is common for such symptoms to intensify during a pandemic, affecting both healthy individuals and those with pre-existing psychiatric disorders (Ornell et al., 2020).

In this regard, Alencar (2010) considers inhibition/shyness as a barrier to the expression of creativity, as it pertains to emotional issues such as the fear of expressing oneself, of contradicting others, and of executing and exposing one’s ideas, feeling inferior, lacking self-belief, and undervaluing one’s own conceptions. This barrier aligns with the characteristics of negative symptoms, which are understood as alterations in an individual’s affective state, commonly characterized by a decrease in pleasure in activities, decreased confidence, increased feelings of worthlessness and incapacity to solve problems, and may lead to cognitive distortions with a negative view of oneself, others, and the world (Beck, 2022).

According to Hennessey and Amabile (2010) and Amabile and Pillemer (2012), creative production cannot solely be attributed to an individual’s set of skills but is also influenced by elements of the context in which the individual is immersed. Therefore, the results found in this study, in which symptoms of depression and stress explained 9.8% of the barrier related to lack of time/opportunity, can be justified by Santos (2012), who stated that the Brazilian higher education context is characterized by social devaluation, pressure for productivity, fear of unemployment, and a high volume of demands. These factors contribute to a lack of time for studying, research, and lesson preparation. Considering a reality where there’s scarcity of time and limited personal resources and opportunities to create, professors may struggle to meet the necessary rigor in their practice (Locatelli, 2017).

Studies with teachers reveal that working conditions, such as devaluation, lack of student motivation, and overload, are recognized as sources of their stress (De Araujo et al., 2020; Silva & Oliveira, 2019; Wagner et al., 2019). Stress, in turn, is understood as the persistent efforts of an individual to adapt to a situation or experience that generates feelings of fear or threat, resulting in impairments to their performance (Vignola & Tucci, 2014).

According to Hirschle and Gondim (2020), an individual’s level stress is influenced by the individual’s perception of environmental demands, or of the environments in which they operate, and his perceived ability to cope with them. Thus, for stress symptoms to be triggered, the person must perceive the situation and demands as stressful and believe they have few resources to cope with them, time being one of these resources. Additionally, individuals with depressive symptoms may have low positive expectations for the future, feel hopeless, and lack self-belief (Beck et al., 2017; Dobson & Dobson, 2011). These factors can contribute to the individual encountering barriers in expressing themselves creatively (Alencar, 2010).

In a study conducted in Taiwan with healthcare teachers by Liu and Wang (2019), it was observed that teachers’ creative teaching self-efficacy as well as their creative teaching skills act as mediating and moderating variables in the relationship between the creative classroom climate and creative teaching behaviors, respectively. Supporting this, some authors (Alencar et al., 2017; Alencar & Fleith, 2010) explain that when teachers receive support from the educational institution and there is student interest in learning, they can develop a creative climate, which also leads to well-being.

The results of the present study also indicated that symptoms of depression and stress predict social repression as a barrier to creativity by 11.8%. According to Amabile and Pillemer (2012), the social context can positively or negatively affect an individual’s creative expression, providing the necessary support for generating new ideas, as well as providing the feedback of outcomes by others involved. As stated by Beck et al. (2017), psychological and social factors are consequences, not causes, of depressive symptoms. Thus, it is understood that how a person feels and their ability to regulate their emotions and feelings can influence whether they seek social support when they are unable to generate creative ideas.

For Alencar (2010), creativity is influenced by environmental factors and can be hindered by issues such as prevailing norms and established pressures, which can lead to a greater tendency to conform to situations, particularly in the work environment. According to Alencar and Fleith (2010), research conducted in various countries demonstrates that HEIs show a certain indifference toward the development of creativity, preferring conventional solutions to everyday problems. Therefore, it is understood that this failure to promote the development of creativity also represents a social barrier, as the institution, the resources of the space, and the materials provided do not stimulate the expression of creativity by teachers and students (Alencar et al., 2017).

In a study conducted by Souza et al. (2021), with teachers from various levels of education 7 to 8 months after the start of the pandemic, it was observed that although most teachers were against online classes, some of them acknowledged that this period of adaptation provided new learning experiences. Furthermore, just over half of the participants reported difficulties adapting in the early stages of the pandemic, feeling comfortable in front of cameras, and using technological tools to support the dynamics of their classes. However, at the time of the present research, they already felt comfortable and more confident in teaching in this new format.

The results of the present study showed that depressive symptoms account for 10.7% of the lack of motivation as a barrier to personal creativity expression. Miranda and Morais (2019) state that individuals are much more inclined to respond creatively to their tasks when they feel motivated by the pleasure of doing them. In individuals with mood disorders and depressive symptoms, there is a decrease in certain neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine (Diniz et al., 2020), which are responsible for pleasure, well-being, and motivation (Alves, 2018). Therefore, in depressive episodes, it is common for the individual’s motivation to be diminished (Grahek et al., 2019).

In a study conducted by Cruz et al. (2020) at the beginning of the pandemic with early childhood and adolescent education teachers, it was indicated that those who expressed concern about contracting the disease were more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression. The authors also mention that significant changes in mental health impact the functioning of daily tasks, both domestic and work-related, and are associated with demotivation, lack of concentration, anhedonia, as well as a lack of interest in interacting with others.

Motivation can be stimulated by the social environment and refers to the satisfaction and involvement of the individual in the task. High levels of intrinsic motivation can encourage individuals to take more risks and break away from habitual patterns of thinking, assisting in the development of new creative strategies (Hennessey & Amabile, 2010; Miranda & Morais, 2019). Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, can make individuals feel controlled, especially when there is reward, competition, and evaluation of the creative process. However, it can also contribute to creativity when external factors provide information that helps the individual successfully complete the task (Amabile & Pillemer, 2012).

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between negative symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress and barriers to the expression of personal creativity among higher education professors in Brazil. Furthermore, the objective was to analyze and discuss whether these negative symptoms significantly predict barriers to the expression of creativity of the participants. The findings of the present research demonstrated a positive correlation between these two constructs, as well as the fact that negative symptoms can explain why the investigated professors encounter barriers to expressing their personal creativity.

As previously mentioned, this research took place during the pandemic scenario, in which most professors were teaching remotely. Thus, their practices, activities, and class dynamics, as well as their work routines, had to be adapted to the new remote format, which likely created greater difficulty in dealing with the changes in the early stages of the pandemic, and consequently more negative symptoms in professors, as very little was known about the disease and the necessary precautions for prevention. However, as time passed from weeks to months, a better understanding of the virus and the resulting context was achieved through research. These changes in an individual’s mental health can impact their daily functioning, be it household or work tasks, leading to demotivation, anhedonia, inattention, reduced interest in interacting with others, among others, which is believed to be related to barriers to the expression of personal creativity.

Therefore, it is considered relevant for HEIs to invest in providing professors with pleasant work environments, the necessary support, resources, and materials, so that their practice can be carried out in the best possible way, prioritizing quality in education and generating well-being, which, in turn, enables them to express their creative potential. It is also important for future studies to explore and understand the resources made available by institutions to facilitate teachers’ adaptation in their practices, even considering the changes that may arise in a possible post-pandemic scenario. Furthermore, it is suggested to assess in future research whether negative symptoms among professors persist or decrease in a post-pandemic period. Additionally, it is pertinent to understand the role of institutions in the mental health of teachers, as well as in the prevention of negative symptoms or in assisting with the treatment of potential progression of these symptoms into mental disorders.