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.

Stress in teachers of children with neuro-developmental disorders: Effect of blended rational emotive behavioral therapy.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Neuro-developmental disorders impose a wide range of learning barriers on learners, increasing stress among their teachers. Evidence attests to the heightened stress among teachers teaching children with such conditions. This study tested the efficacy of blended Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy in reducing job stress among teachers of children with neuro-developmental disorders in Abia State, Nigeria. METHOD: The current study adopted a group-randomized waitlist control trial design with pretest, post-test, and follow-up assessments. Participants (N = 83) included teachers of children with neuro-developmental disorders in inclusive and specialized schools. The blended Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy group participated in a 2 h intersession face-to-face and online Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) program weekly for 12 weeks. Data were collected using the Single Item Stress Questionnaire, Teachers' Stress Inventory, and Participants' Satisfaction questionnaire. The waitlisted group also received a blended Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy intervention after all data collection. Data collected at baseline; post-test as well as follow-up 1 and 2 evaluations were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, t-test statistics, repeated measures analysis of variance, and charts. RESULTS: Results revealed that the mean perceived stress, stress symptoms, and the total teachers' stress score of the blended Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy group at post-test and follow-up assessments reduced significantly, compared to the waitlisted group. Participants also reported a high level of satisfaction with the therapy and procedures. CONCLUSION: From the findings of this study, we conclude that blended Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy is efficacious in occupational stress management among teachers of children with neuro-developmental disorders.

Proactive Personality and Social Support With Pre-retirement Anxiety: Mediating Role of Subjective Career Success.

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the mediating role of subjective career success (SCS) in the relationship between proactive personality, social support (SS), and pre-retirement anxiety. Using a two-wave longitudinal design, 624 pre-retirees were sampled (M = 56.49 years; SD = 4.56); of these, 237 (37.98%) were males and 387 (62.02%) were females. Measurement model and mediation test were performed using the SmartPLS and IBM SPSS Amos software. The result indicated that proactive personality, SS, and SCS showed negative relationships with the dimensions of pre-retirement anxiety (financial preparedness, social obligation, and social alienation). Subjective career success mediated the relationship between proactive personality and pre-retirement anxiety.

Yoga complemented cognitive behavioral therapy on job burnout among teachers of children with autism spectrum disorders.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Job burnout is a syndrome of reaction to chronic job-related stress which affects overall health, limits occupational efficacy, and personal accomplishments of employees thereby thwarting organizational outcomes. Burnout symptoms are common among teachers of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and affect the academic progress of the children. This study investigated the effectiveness of Yoga-based cognitive behavioral therapy (Y-CBT) in reducing occupational burnout among teachers of children with autism in Lagos States, Nigeria. METHODS: A group-randomized control-trial with immediate intervention and waitlist control groups was design was adopted. Participants included 58 teachers of children with autism in public and private special schools in the area. Participants were randomly assigned to Y-CBT (N = 29) and waitlist control (N = 29) groups. The Y-CBT group participated in a 2 hours Y-CBT program weekly for 12 weeks. Three instruments Demographic variable, Single Item Stress Questionnaire (SISQ), and Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators' Survey (MBI-ES) were used to collect data. Data were collected at baseline; post-test and follow-up evaluations. Data were analyzed using means, standard deviations, t test statistics, repeated measures analysis of variance, and bar charts. RESULTS: Results revealed that job-burnout reduced significantly at post-test assessment among the Y-CBT group compared to the waitlisted group. The reduction in the participant was sustained across 3months follow-up evaluation. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that Y-CBT modalities could help to reduce the burnout symptoms among teachers of children with ASD.

Managing job stress in teachers of children with autism: A rational emotive occupational health coaching control trial.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Teaching has been found to be 1 of the most stressful occupations worldwide. Stress associated with teaching is more critical among teachers teaching children with special needs in general and those with autism specifically, partly due to the heterogeneous nature of the disorders. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Rational Emotive Occupational Health Coaching (REOHC) in minimizing job stress in teachers of children with autism (CWA). METHODS: A group-randomized waitlist control-trial design was adopted. A sample of 87 teachers of CWA who participated in the study was randomized into the immediate intervention group (IIG) and waitlist group (WLG). Participants were evaluated on 3 occasions: pretest, post-test and follow-up. Three instruments (Occupational Stress Index, Perceived Occupational Stress Scale and Stress Symptom Scale) were used to measure dimensions of job stress. After the pretest exercise, the IIG participated in a 2-hour REOHC programme weekly for a period of 12 weeks. Post- and follow-up evaluations were conducted respectively at 2 weeks and 3 months after the REOHC programme. Those in WLG were exposed to the REOHC after the follow-up assessment. Data collected were analysed using t-test statistics, repeated measures analysis of variance and bar charts. RESULTS: Results revealed that the perceived stress and stress symptoms of the REOHC group reduced significantly over WLG at post-test, and follow-up assessments. Changes in the occupational stress index scores across pre-, post- and follow-up measurements were minimal and could not account for a significant difference between the IIG and WLG. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that REOHC is effective in reducing subjective feelings and physiological symptoms of job stress, even when the objective stressors remain constant among teachers of CWA and other employees who work in stressful occupational environments.

Rational emotive intervention for stress management among english education undergraduates: Implications for school curriculum innovation.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Different studies have shown the prevalence of high level of stress among undergraduate students. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT) as a stress management intervention among English Education undergraduates in Universities in Southeastern Nigeria. METHOD: The study adopted a group randomized trial design. One hundred sixteen samples of English education undergraduates (with a high level of perceived stress) took part in the study. These students were randomly assigned to groups - intervention group(n = 58) and no-intervention control group (n = 58). The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) was used for data collection. The collected data were analyzed using 2-way mixed repeated measure ANOVA and independent sample t test at 0.05 probability level. RESULT: Results showed that an REBT program significantly reduced the stress among English education undergraduates in the intervention group compared to the students in the control group as measured by PSS-14. Also, the English education undergraduates who benefited from the REBT program maintained the reduction in stress after 3 months when the researchers conducted a follow-up. CONCLUSION: REBT program can be used to equip undergraduate students with the necessary skills to manage stress. The implications for curriculum innovation were highlighted.