Management of stress among primary school teachers in Ismailia city. An intervention study

Document Type : Original Article

Abstract

Teacher stress is a multifactorial phenomenon that spread globally irrespective to the level of development of country. Aim of study: The aim of this study was to measure the efficacy of a stress management program in lowering the level of stress among schools’ teachers who suffers work-related stress. Subjects and Methods: A quasi-experimental design was used to test the effect of application of stress management program among primary school teachers living in Ismailia city. Cluster sampling technique was used to choose the primary schools included in the study. A sample size of 170 school teachers was selected randomly from the chosen schools. A self administered questionnaire was used as a tool for the study before and after the intervention. Intervention program was composed of small lectures and watching videos with coping maneuvers to be followed in case of any stress situation. Results: 64.7% and 22.4% of surveyed school teachers were having moderate and severe stress respectively. Bad behavior of students, long working hours and not enough salary were the common reported factors to cause a lot to severe stress among the sample. After introducing the stress management program, the percentage of teachers who have no stress increased from 12.9% to 32.9% and the percentage of those who have severe stress decreased from 22.4% to 5.9%. In conclusion, the study revealed that one fifth of primary school teachers in Ismailia city perceived teaching as a severely stressful job. This study can be considered as a pilot study and further research need to be conducted to determine the most suitable stress management activities that suit our culture and local circumstances.

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