Intervention for stress management among skilled construction workers.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have demonstrated the need for a stress management intervention among construction workers. Construction workers, despite their degree of stress, are expected to contribute to the accomplishment of projects on construction sites. This study aimed to ascertain the effect of a group rational emotive behavior therapy (group REBT) on stress management among a select sample of skilled construction workers in construction industry in Nigeria. METHODS: With a randomized controlled trial design, 160 skilled construction workers completed the study and responded to the perceived stress scale-14 and work-related irrational beliefs questionnaire. Participants were randomly allocated to either the intervention group (n = 80) or the control group (n = 80). The main method of data analysis used in the study was repeated measures within-between subjects analysis of variance statistic. RESULTS: Results show that group REBT significantly improved stress and work-related irrational beliefs scores of the skilled construction workers after they were exposed to the intervention and compared with their colleagues in the control group. The significant reduction in stress and work-related irrational beliefs scores of the treatment group were also sustained at follow-up. CONCLUSION: Group REBT was significant in reducing stress and work-related irrational beliefs among the skilled construction workers.

Effect of a critical thinking intervention on stress management among undergraduates of adult education and extramural studies programs.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a critical thinking intervention (CTI) on stress management among undergraduates of adult education and extramural studies programs. METHOD: A total of 44 undergraduates were randomly sorted into experimental and waitlist control groups. We used the Perceived Stress Scale for data collection at the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. We used unpaired t and paired t-tests to analyze the data collected. SPSS version 22.0 was used for the data analyses (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). RESULTS: It was shown that the CTI was effective in reducing the mean stress of the participants compared to the control group both in the post-test (t[42] = -22.453, P < .001) and follow-up periods (t[42] = -34.292, P < .001). There were statistically significant changes in the mean stress of participants in the experimental group from the pre-test to post-test phases (t[23] = 26.30, P = .000, r = .08], and from pre-test to follow-up(t[23] = 37.10, P = .000, r = .30). The mean stress of the participants in the experimental group from post-test to follow-up signified the sustained positive influence of the CTI on the mean stress (t[23] = 2.41, P = .000, r = .46) of the undergraduates. CONCLUSION: This study adds to the literature by showing that a CTI is a valuable strategy for stress reduction in a university environment. Given that the CTI demonstrated the ability to reduce stress among undergraduates enrolled in adult education and extramural studies programs, we hope that similar interventions will be adopted to manage and prevent stress among students in other departments and disciplines.

A group-focused rational emotive behavior coaching for management of academic burnout among undergraduate students: Implications for school administrators.

BACKGROUND: High-stress level affects students' health and many of them experiencing high levels of stress are at risk of burnout. School administrators are often concerned about the experiences and negative effects of burnout among students and staff. Burnout is described as a psychological reaction to chronic stress. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of a group-focused intervention (rational emotive behavior coaching, REBC) on academic burnout among undergraduate students attending public universities in Southeast Nigeria. METHODS: A group randomized controlled trial design was adopted for this study. A total of 52 convenient samples of undergraduate students (with a high degree of burnout symptoms) took part in the research. We used a group REBT program manual for the management of burnout which was complemented with REBC techniques. Data were gathered with the aid of the perceived stress scale (PSS-10) and Oldenburg Burnout inventory-student (OLBI-S). Data were analyzed using ANOVA and paired t test at .05 probability level. RESULTS: Results showed that the group-focused REBC program significantly alleviated burnout symptoms among students in the treatment group compared to students in the control group as measured by OLBI-S subscales: exhaustion (F(1,51) = 41.789, P = .000, (Equation is included in full-text article.), ΔR = 0.634, SE = 1.00), and disengagement (F(1,51) = 196.036, P = .000, (Equation is included in full-text article.), ΔR = 0.869, SE = 0.69). The students who benefitted from the group-focused REBC program maintained reduced symptoms of burnout after three months when the researchers conducted a follow-up as measured by OLBI-S subscales: exhaustion (F(1,51) = 34.012, P = .000, (Equation is included in full-text article.), ΔR = 0.467, SE = 1.21), and disengagement (F(1,51) = 108.941, P = .000, (Equation is included in full-text article.), ΔR = 0.765, SE = 0.85). CONCLUSION: This research indicates that group-focused REBC can be applied to reduce burnout symptoms among undergraduate students. The group-focused REBC intervention may be adapted to overcome employee burnout and school administrators' burnout. Researchers may need to investigate the possibility of storing and harnessing data from studies on REBC and burnout and delivering computer-based/internet REBC program following evidence-based computing strategies and principles.

Work-related stress, burnout, and related sociodemographic factors among nurses: Implications for administrators, research, and policy.

This study examined work-related stress and burnout symptoms with respect to related sociodemographic factors among nurses in Nigeria.A representative sample of nurses (N = 393) was randomly selected from hospitals in Southeast Nigeria to take part in this cross-sectional, correlational study from June to December 2017. Participants received questionnaires by mail, which measured work stress and burnout symptoms, respectively. Data collected were analyzed using bivariate correlations and multiple regression analyses.Among the sociodemographic factors investigated, sex was significantly correlated with work-related stress. The sociodemographic factors were not significantly associated with burnout symptoms. Stepwise multiple regression procedure produced a model that contained four sociodemographic factors and explained 4.5% of the variance in nurses' work stress scores and 0.8% of the variance in nurses' burnout scores. Age, work environment, and work experience did not make significant contributions to the prediction of work-related stress among the nurses. Finally, sex, age, work environment, and work experience did not make significant contributions to the prediction of burnout among the nurses.Nurses' sociodemographic factors, which included sex, age, work environment and work experience accounted for only a small proportion of variance in nurses' work stress and burnout in Southeast Nigeria. The study also furthers our awareness that sex is significantly linked to work-related stress among the nurses in Southeast Nigeria. Thus, the implications of the study for administrators, research, and policy were discussed.

A rational-emotive stress management intervention for reducing job burnout and dysfunctional distress among special education teachers: An effect study.

BACKGROUND: Job-related burnout and distress are adverse stress responses which affect individuals in their occupational environment. This study aimed at investigating the effect of a rational-emotive stress management program on job burnout and dysfunctional distress among special education teachers in Nigeria. METHODS: A pretest-posttest randomized control group design was used. The participants in the study were 54 special education teachers. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires. Participants were allocated to either the treatment group (n = 28 [59.1%]) or the waitlist control group (n = 26 [48.1%]), respectively. A rational-emotive stress management manual was used to deliver the intervention. We statistically analyzed the data collected at three-time points with repeated-measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: At baseline, the job-related burnout symptoms and distress scores of participants were high. However, an intention-to-treat analysis showed that the rational-emotive stress management intervention program was efficacious in reducing the levels of job-related burnout symptoms and dysfunctional distress among participants assigned to the treatment group, compared to a waitlisted group at post-treatment and follow-up meetings. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates the effectiveness of a rational-emotive stress management intervention in reducing the level of job-related burnout and distress in a sample of special education teachers in Nigeria. Occupational health counsellors and other clinicians with sufficient knowledge of rational-emotive behavior therapy framework are urged to employ this approach in assisting other employees in managing job burnout symptoms, and distress.