Online cognitive-behavioral intervention for stress among English as a second language teachers: implications for school health policy.

Introduction: Stress is one of the highest-ranked work-related injuries worldwide and has become almost universal among the Nigerian workforce. English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers face enormous work-related threats that lead to occupational stress. When ESL teachers are stressed, students' language development and entire educational progress are at risk. This is mostly underscored as English, though a second language, serves as the language of instruction in Nigerian schools. As a result, managing occupational stress is particularly important for ESL teachers, as it is among the definitive ways of improving ESL learning and overall educational outcomes. This study examined the effectiveness of online cognitive behavioral intervention (o-CBI) in lowering occupational stress among ESL teachers. Method: ESL teachers with at least 1 year of experience were among the participants (N = 89). Participants were divided into two groups: the intervention group (N = 44) and the control group (N = 45). For 9 weeks, the experimental group engaged in nine sessions of 2 h of the o-CBI program. The Single Item Stress Questionnaire (SISQ), the Satisfaction with Therapy and Therapist Scale-Revised (STTS-R), and the Teachers' Stress Inventory (TSI) were the measures used to collect primary and secondary data. Four sets of data were collected at baseline, post-test, and follow-up 1 and 2 evaluations. The data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, t-test statistics, repeated measures ANOVA, and bar charts. Results and discussion: Compared to the control group, the o-CBT group had significantly lower TSI scores at the post-test (Time 2) and follow-up evaluations (Times 3 and 4). Between pre-, post-, and follow-up 1 and 2 measurements, there were no significant differences in occupational stress index scores in the control group. It was concluded that o-CBI is effective in job-stress treatment among ESL teachers. In addition, implications for school health policy are discussed. The o-CBI for occupational stress was well received by the participants, showing high acceptability among ESL teachers.

Two logistic models for the prediction of hypothyroidism in pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: The mounting evidence linking hypothyroidism during pregnancy with poor pregnancy outcome underscores the need for screening and, therefore, a search for more reliable and cheaper screening methods. METHODS: The study was conducted in two phases. The phase one study comprised of healthy women in different stages of pregnancy who attended routine antenatal clinic at St Theresa's Maternity Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria from September 6 to October 18 1994. In this study the variables compared between the hypothyroid and non-hypothyroid pregnant women were maternal age, the number of the pregnancy or gravidity, gestational age, social class, body weight, height, the clinically assessed size of the thyroid gland, serum free thyroxin (FT4) and serum thyrotrophin (TSH). Based on the parameter differences between the two comparison groups of pregnant women two Logistic models, Model I and Model 11, were derived to differentiate the hypothyroid group from their non-hypothyroid counterparts. The two logistic models were then applied in a prospective validation study involving 197 pregnant women seen at presentation in Mother of Christ Specialist Hospital and Maternity, Ogui Road, Enugu from March 2002 to November 2007 FINDINGS: The findings were that 82 (50.3%) of the 163 pregnant women had thyroid gland enlargement while 60 (36.8%) had hypothyroidism as defined by FT4 values below and/or TSH above their laboratory reference ranges. The pregnant subjects with hypothyroidism, compared with their non-hypothyroid counterparts, were characterized by a higher gravidity (p < 0.01), a higher body weight (p < 0.01), a higher goiter prevalence rate (p < 0.01) and a more advanced gestational age (p < 0.0001). A significant, positive correlation was also found between body weight and gestational age (r = 0.5; p < 0.01) At the cut-off point for Model l (fitted with gravidity, thyroid size and gestational age) it had a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 72.8% and an overall predictive accuracy of 82.9%; whereas for Model II (fitted with gravidity, thyroid size and body weight) the sensitivity was 100%, the specificity was 59.2% and the overall accuracy of discrimination was 74.8%. In the prospective validation study both models showed a sensitivity of 100% each with specificities of 85.5% for Model I and 76.2% for Model II. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that logistic models fitting gravidity, thyroid gland size and gestational age or body weight are useful alternatives in screening for hypothyroidism during pregnancy. There is, however, a need for further independent confirmation of these findings.