Potential classroom stressors of teachers: An audiovisual and physiological approach

The number of teachers leaving their professions due to high levels of stress is a growing worldwide concern. Previous psychological and physiological research has already identified potential classroom stressors: low student engagement and motivation, negative teacher-student relationships and interactions, as well as teacher-centered activities. The current study extends this research by examining the frequency and intensity of these stressors during actual classroom teaching. The heart rates of 40 teachers were recorded throughout one real-life classroom lesson as a proxy for teacher stress. Heart rate measurements were used to select potentially stressful and non-stressful classroom situations. We transcribed the interactions during these situations and coded the stressors according to the previously mentioned stressor categories. Multilevel regression analyses were conducted to predict teachers' heart rates based on the occurrence of classroom stressors. Students’ low engagement and motivation, as well as teacher-centered activities, significantly predicted an increased heart rate. However, pronounced differences were observed between teachers in what they experienced as stressful. This points to significant individual differences in teacher stress triggers and processes. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

On Coping with the Stresses of Teaching

Stress is a concept which is much talked about but little understood. We are exposed to it every day of our lives and our response to it often determines the quality of our life and health. Hans Selye (1976), the acknowledged father of stress research, defines stress as the nonspecific response of the body to any demand and a stressor as an agent which produces stress at any time. The stressor may be a demánd for physical activity or an environmental exposure to potential toxins such as heat or noise. It may be an emotional difficulty that produces distorted perceptions of ordinary circumstances or the psychological impact of such significant events as the death of a loved one. Social stressors may arise out of an individual's work, family roles or interpersonal relationships with others.     

Workplace Stress and Ethical Challenges Experienced by Nursing Staff in a Nursing Home

This research explores the workplace stress and ethical challenges reported by healthcare staff in a nursing home. A brief self-report survey was administered to 44 members of the nursing staff in a not-for-profit nursing home. The survey included items that elicited identification of specific workplace stressors and ethical challenges and global assessments of job-satisfaction, psychological stress, and perceived pressures that may affect provision of care. There were also items dealing with the perceived benefit of prospective in-service training programs. Content analyses indicated interactions with residents as the most frequent source of stress and ethical challenges encountered by nursing staff. Further, results of correlational analyses suggested psychological stress to be associated with job satisfaction and pressure to take shortcuts in the provision of care. Continuing education via in-service training that addresses workplace stress and ethical challenges in nursing care is discussed.     

Hurricane Katrina's Impact on Students and Staff Members in the Schools of Mississippi

Following Hurricane Katrina, a team of researchers from the University of Southern Mississippi's Department of Educational Leadership and Research surveyed school administrators regarding the impact of Hurricane Katrina upon students and school staff members in Mississippi public schools. Respondents disclosed concerns over displacement and psychological stressors experienced by both students and staff. Additional concerns were expressed regarding support systems for students, destruction of student and personnel records, student achievement and school accountability, and the employment status of teachers. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.     

大班幼儿心理压力及其来源研究

本文以90名大班幼儿为调查对象,通过半结构访谈法了解幼儿心理压力的现状、来源及其构成以及每种来源内部的具体分布,分析该现象出现的原因,以求为家长和教育者提供建议。并为研究我国幼儿心理压力问题提供参考。结果发现,大部分幼儿都感受到了压力,幼儿心理压力源按比例从高到低依次为：父母、同停、社会、学业、其它、自己、幼儿园日常生活和教师。     

The environment of poverty: multiple stressor exposure,psychophysiological stress,and socioemotional adjustment

The one in five children growing up in poverty in America have elevated risk for socioemotional difficulties. One contributing factor to their elevated risk may be exposure to multiple physical and psychosocial stressors. This study demonstrated that 8- to 10-year-old, low-income, rural children (N = 287) confront a wider array of multiple physical (substandard housing, noise, crowding) and psychosocial (family turmoil, early childhood separation, community violence) stressors than do their middle-income counterparts. Prior research on self-reported distress among inner-city minority children is replicated and extended among low-income, rural White children with evidence of higher levels of self- and parent-reported psychological distress, greater difficulties in self-regulatory behavior (delayed gratification), and elevated psychophysiological stress (resting blood pressure, overnight neuroendocrine hormones). Preliminary mediational analyses with cross-sectional data suggest that cumulative stressor exposure may partially account for the well-documented, elevated risk of socioemotional difficulties accompanying poverty.     

Victimization and traumatic stress: Pathways to depressive symptoms among low-income,African-American girls

Socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with increased exposure to victimization and traumatic stress. The present study evaluates longitudinal pathways linking victimization and trauma to depressive symptoms in a socioeconomically disadvantaged sample of African-American adolescent girls seeking mental health services (N = 177, 12–16 years old at baseline). Girls completed four assessments over the course of three years (T1-T4). Depressive symptoms were assessed at T1-T3 using clinical interviews and questionnaires. At T4, lifetime history of victimization and traumatic stressors was evaluated with in-person interviews. Separate structural equation models tested longitudinal pathways from stressor frequency, severity, and duration to depressive symptoms. In all three models, higher levels of victimization and traumatic stressors were associated with significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms. More frequent stressors prior to T1 directly predicted depressive symptoms at T1 and indirectly predicted depressive symptoms at T2, which, in turn, predicted depressive symptoms at T3. A similar pattern emerged in the stressor severity and duration models. Findings support the idea that victimization and traumatic stressors are associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms and that, among treatment-seeking low-income adolescent girls, these effects occur through both direct and indirect paths. Implications of these findings are discussed in the context of the stress-generation and stress proliferation models of psychopathology.     

大学生就业压力的类型及分析

本研究有两个目的:第一,探讨大学生就业压力的类型;第二,分析大学生就业压力的特点。研究分三步:采用开放式问卷探讨大学生就业的主要压力源;通过对开放式问卷结果的分析,确定就业压力的类型;采用量表调查分析大学生就业压力的特点。主要测量工具为《大学生就业压力量表》。被试选取北京市四所高校的大学生,共741人。结果显示:大学生就业压力的主要类型为社会环境压力,个人环境压力,时间压力和个人条件压力。大学生就业压力的主要特点是:大学生的就业压力水平总体偏高,其中社会环境带来的压力最大,个人环境的压力较大,个人条件的压力一般,时间压力不大。     

Stress and psychological distress among trainee secondary teachers in England

The relationships between stress and psychological distress were investigated among a cohort of trainee secondary school teachers in England. Specifically, the study examined the structure of a Teacher Stress Scale and its relationship to mental health as measured by the 12‐item General Health Questionnaire. Three factors were identified: behaviour management, workload, and lack of support. Differences were identified between men and women in respect of stressors and psychological distress. Stress attributed to pupils’ disruptive behaviour and stress attributed to perceived occupational stress were found to be significant predictors of psychological distress. The findings are discussed in relation to the degree to which trainees are prepared for the challenges they are likely to experience as teachers.     

Minor Hassles in Community College Student Life

Over the past several decades, academic stress—the pressures, frustrations and hassles associated with all aspects of college life—has gained increased attention in the literature. In this grant-funded study, a group of 161 students at an urban Northeastern community college took a comprehensive survey. The survey included questions about their academic stressors, their reactions to the stressors, and their coping strategies. In this survey, minor hassles emerged as the most prominent stressor experienced by these students. This paper describes the minor hassles experienced by the students, relates the findings to current and past literature on stress, and presents implications for community college administrators.     

Stressors,Self‐Efficacy,Coping Resources,and Burnout among Secondary School Teachers in Spain

The relationships among teacher occupational stressors, self‐efficacy, coping resources, and burnout were investigated in a sample of 247 Spanish secondary school teachers. Concretely, two specific aims were formulated in order to examine the effect of teaching stressors on teacher burnout and the role of self‐efficacy and school coping resources as mediator or moderator variables in the stressor–burnout relationship. Teachers reported that when their pedagogical practice in the school setting was being interfered with or hindered by a set of factors from the multiple contexts involved in students’ learning, problems of burnout occurred. In addition, results revealed that teachers with a high level of self‐efficacy and more coping resources reported suffering less stress and burnout than teachers with a low level of self‐efficacy and fewer coping resources, and vice versa.     

大学教师的工作压力类型和压力强度研究

本研究主要测量工具为《大学教师工作压力量表》。被试为北京市两所高校的337名教师。结果显示，大学教师的工作压力主要类型为包括工作保障压力、教学保障压力、人际关系压力、工作负荷压力和工作无乐趣压力。大学教师的工作压力强度总体看不高，84％报告工作压力不大，另外16％报告工作压力大。工作负荷和人际关系为两个最主要的工作压力来源。     

Modelling Occupational Stress and Employee Health and Wellbeing in a Chinese Higher Education Institution

Extensive change is evident in higher education in the People's Republic of China but there have been few studies of the effect of work stress on wellbeing in the higher education sector. The main aim of this study is to test and refine the ASSET (‘An Organizational Stress Screening Tool’) model of occupational stress in a sample of 150 academic and non‐academic employees in a Chinese higher education institute. Using partial least squares modelling, the findings showed that job stressors predicted job dissatisfaction but, surprisingly, did not predict perceived commitment. Employees who reported job dissatisfaction tended to perceive that their organisation was less committed towards them and report less commitment towards the organisation. Job stressors resulted in poorer psychological wellbeing. Greater psychological wellbeing was associated with greater physical wellbeing. The findings suggest that university management should introduce strategies aimed at minimising job stressors as these would result in higher level of job satisfaction, higher level of commitment and ultimately resulted in an improvement in physical health.     

Work stressors,health and sense of coherence in UK academic employees

This cross‐sectional study examined relationships between job‐specific stressors and psychological and physical health symptoms in academic employees working in UK universities. The study also tests the main and moderating role played by sense of coherence (SOC: Antonovsky, 1987 Antonovsky, A. 1987. Unravelling the mystery of health: How people manage stress and stay well, San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.  [Google Scholar] in work stress process). SOC is described as a generalised resistance resource for coping with environmental stressors and remaining healthy. Four hundred and sixty‐five academic employees (60% male) completed measures of work stressors, physical and psychological ill health and SOC. Significant inter‐relationships were found between job stressors, health outcomes and SOC. Stressors relating to time constraints, support and influence and work–home interface demands had the strongest associations with health outcomes. Employees with a weaker SOC tended to be in poorer physical and psychological health, thus supporting a main effect for SOC. Some evidence for a moderating role for SOC was found, with the strongest effect observed for stressors experienced at the work–home interface.     

Aquatic-Aerobic Exercise as a Means of Stress Reduction during Pregnancy

The goals of this research were to explore the current literature regarding associations between psychological stress and adverse fetal outcome, associations between aerobic exercise and psychological stress reduction, and associations between aerobic exercise and fetal outcome. The published studies that were located provide evidence of the following: 1) Stress reactivity increases physiologically during pregnancy, 2) pregnant women may experience additional stressors that are usually not experienced in a nonpregnant state, 3) psychological stress in pregnancy is associated with adverse fetal outcome, 4) exercise can be a method of stress reduction, 5) exercise in pregnancy is not associated with adverse fetal outcome, and 6) exercise in pregnancy may provide benefit to the fetus. Data were analyzed from an original study and associations were reported between psychological stress-management activities and participation in aquatic aerobic exercise classes. No reports were available investigating an exercise-induced reduction in psychological stress with fetal outcome.     

The Mental Health Status of Law Students: Implications for College Counselors

The purpose of this study was to describe law students' psychological symptoms, assess the role of law school stress in students' symptoms, and suggest ways college counselors can help this population. More than half of the 316 participants displayed symptoms of depression and psychological distress, and nearly half showed symptoms of anxiety. Law school stressors significantly predicted students' symptoms. Workload, peers, and low instrumental support most impacted students, thus providing specific directions and implications for college counselors.     

铁路职工常见工作压力与自我调适

随着“十一五”期间铁路建设、运营的迅速发展,铁路职工的责任和压力加大。这使企业干部、职工产生不同程度的倦怠感,从而影响到他们的身心健康,也为铁路企业的安全运输和稳步发展带来不利影响。阐述铁路职工重视工作压力问题的必要性,着重分析铁路职工常见工作压力源,并从心理学的角度提出铁路职工自我调适的方法。     

Nine by two: guidelines for job applicants and for selectors of staff in schools and similar educational organizations

Teacher unions have shown increasing concern about the effects of stress on their members. Although stress is difficult to define, its existence is undeniable. Consequently, the literature highlights a symptomatology. In my research, into stress in relation to heads of year in a comprehensive school, role conflict and role ambiguity emerged as stressors. The research was based on diary entries and interviews. Their coping strategies varied in terms of effectiveness. A consequence of this research was the creation of sessions on The Positive Uses of Stress and a greater willingness on the part of staff to discuss stressful incidents. However, as the latter were unstructured their therapeutic value must be question An implication of my research is that all schools should place a high priority on stress management strategies. At the organisational level this could include the appointment of a Staff Counsellor, the adoption of sensivity training for staff and a corporate culture which places a high value on the individual's worth.     

心理压力的涵义与特性

心理压力是个体在生活实践中，对压力事件反映时所形成的一种持续紧张的综合性心理状态。心理压力是现实生活中客观存在的心理现象，与压力事件密切联系。心理压力作为个体的一种综合性心理状态，表现为认知、情绪、行为三种基本心理成分的有机结合。心理压力具有情绪性和动力性等基本特性。     

大学教职员工的工作压力研究

大学教职员工的压力源和工作压力反应两方面的指标,可以反映出高校教师和行政人员之间工作压力的差异。教职员工的主要压力源在于其工作的自主性不足,他们没有足够的工作自由度和独立性。这方面的限制不仅来源于其工作环境和体制,而且还来自于身边人员的压力。在压力源上,教师所感受到的工作局限性要比行政人员少一些,这可能与二者工作性质的不同有关。从工作压力反应方面来看,教职员工的总体工作稳定性还是比较高的,这也许与他们稳定的收入和良好的福利有关。但是高校教师的辞职意向还是要高于行政人员,这可能是因为学历的提升开阔了眼界,站在更高的层次上就会产生更多的欲求。