A brief cognitive-behavioral stress management program for secondary school teachers

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Occupational Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Work-related stress is a significant issue for secondary school teachers.
• High stress levels can negatively impact teacher well-being and job performance.
• Existing interventions may not be brief or specifically tailored to educators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a brief cognitive-behavioral program for reducing work-related stress in secondary school teachers.
• To assess changes in stress levels, dysfunctional thoughts, and stress management behaviors.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design compared intervention groups with wait-list control groups.
• Seventy teachers received the intervention, and 54 served as controls.
• Validated scales (e.g., DASS, DAS, HPLP II, OSI-R) were administered at baseline and 3-4 weeks later.

Main Results:

• Intervention groups showed significantly lower role stress, personal strain, and overall work-related stress.
• Teachers in the intervention groups exhibited enhanced stress management behaviors and reduced dysfunctional thoughts.
• Dysfunctional thoughts and stress management behaviors predicted general stress and personal strain post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• The brief cognitive-behavioral program is efficacious in reducing work-related stress for secondary school teachers.
• The program leads to decreased dysfunctional thoughts and improved stress management skills.
• This intervention can serve as an initial strategy for short-term stress management and may be integrated with other approaches for sustained effects.