A moment for the teacher: The role of savoring in school teacher psychological adjustment to a highly stressful work event

Abstract

ABSTRACT School teachers are likely to experience highly stressful events through their work. Thus, it is important to understand emotion regulation factors, such as savoring the moment, that might protect a school teacher’s psychological adjustment following a highly stressful work event. First, we examined whether school teachers’ ability to savor the moment buffers the psychological impact of a highly stressful work event on school teacher psychological adjustment. Second, we examined whether, following a highly stressful work event, savoring the moment relates to better psychological adjustment in school teachers through greater meaning in life. We surveyed 110 Australian school teachers (M = 40.15 years) who completed measures of psychological impact of a stressful work event, savoring the moment, psychological adjustment, and meaning in life. Regression results showed that 1) savoring the moment buffered the negative psychological impact of a highly stressful work event on psychological adjustment outcomes of depression and anxiety; and 2) meaning in life mediated the relationship between savoring the moment and psychological adjustment. The findings have theoretical and practical implications for school teacher psychological adjustment.