Abstract
Stress is becoming increasingly prevalent among teacher groups, and this is problematic for education. Mindfulness training (MT) is a well-supported way to help various populations cope with and reduce stress. In this study, a 4-day intensive MT program that aimed to increase teachers’ emotional health was developed and implemented into the existing post-service education for teachers in eastern China. A total of 161 teachers voluntarily enrolled in the course and were assigned to either the mindfulness group or the waitlist group. Participants completed measures of mindfulness, positive affect, negative affect, and perceived stress before and after the program. The results showed that MT had statistically significant positive effects on mindfulness, negative affect, and stress. The present findings indicate that a 4-day intensive MT program is a promising way to decrease teachers’ stress and improve their emotional health. The practical meaning of the short-term intensive MT program for teachers is discussed. It is easier for teachers to enroll such a short-term training program, as it may have higher acceptance and feasibility than an 8-week training program in some areas.Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier ChiCTR2000029653.
Highlights
Teaching is a stressful occupation (Roeser et al, 2013)
Our results indicated that a 4-day intensive MT can improve teachers’ mindfulness and reduce their stress and negative affect, which is quite important for those teachers who are suffering from occupational stress and other mental distress
When time or financial support is limited, a short-term training program may have higher acceptance and feasibility than an 8-week training program in some areas
Summary
Teachers experience pressures similar to other professions (workload, reputation pressure, etc.), but there are professionspecific pressures, such as having to fulfill multiple roles (such as caregiver, counselor, disciplinarian, information provider, etc.) and balancing educational responsibilities against the stress and pressure from students, parents, and outside sources. Between 25 and 30% of teachers rate their jobs as either very or extremely stressful (Kyriacou, 2001; Unterbrink et al, 2007). According to the report on national mental health development in China (2017–2018), the overall mental health of teachers decreases year by year. Eastern China has a fast-developing economy that is driving the development of education, and the high competition brought on by this development increases pressure on teachers. Studies show that the overall mental health condition of Chinese teachers is much worse than normal and that some teachers have a diagnosable emotional disorder (Li, 2006; Hu et al, 2010; Yi et al, 2014)
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