Supporting business educators and students against COVID-19 trauma using trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy

COVID-19 and management education: From pandemic to endemic

The disruption in management education caused by COVID-19 was significant, creating a noteworthy impetus for new research. Given that COVID-19 has transitioned from pandemic to endemic, it is an opportune time to retrospect the contributions of related research to shape the future of management education. Using the SPAR-4-SLR protocol, a systematic literature review was conducted on management education research relating to COVID-19 published between 2020 and 2022. A total of 56 relevant articles were found in and retrieved from the Web of Science database and subsequently analyzed using descriptive and content analyses. The descriptive analysis revealed a steep increase in research on the impact of COVID-19 on management education over time, with most research appearing in The International Journal of Management Education . The contributions came from various countries, with the top five being the USA, the UK, Australia, India, and China. The content analysis showed that most research adopted empirical methodologies while self-determination theory emerged as the most popular theoretical lens for study. The related research revolved around five major themes—i.e., digital teaching and learning , collaboration and partnership , embracing uncertainty and building resilience , transformation and innovation , and developing an entrepreneurial mindset —and provided implications for management education in the new normal, wherein the priority is focused on enhancing education quality and preparing future business leaders for profound challenges in the new normal, thereby necessitating the development of innovative pedagogies and leadership competencies.

Efficacy of rational emotive behavior therapy for the improvement of knowledge and risk perception of hypertension among university lecturers in South East Nigeria: REBT for university lecturers' hypertension improvement

BACKGROUND

This study determined the effectiveness of a rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT) intervention on knowledge of risks of hypertension among university lecturers in South-east geopolitical zone of Nigeria.

METHODS

The study used a group randomized controlled trial design to group the participants into treatment group and a waiting-list control group and the hypertension knowledge questionnaire and the Perceived Risks of Hypertension Questionnaire to collect a pretest, posttest, and follow-up data of this study. The sample of the study was 84 university lecturers in public universities in Southeast Nigeria (University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State) who satisfies the requirements to participate in the study. The study lasted for 10 weeks. The data collected for the study were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and t test statistics.

RESULTS

The findings of this study were that REBT health educational intervention effectively increased the education foundation and business education lecturers' knowledge and perceived risk of hypertension compared to participants in waitlist group. Lastly, the outcomes of the follow-up measures indicate that the increased knowledge and perceived risks of hypertension acquired during the training program was sustained by the treatment group one month after the end of program.

CONCLUSION

The REBT health educational intervention program could be utilized to increase knowledge and perceived risks of hypertension among university lecturers in public universities in Southeast Nigeria.

Trajectories and predictors of vicarious traumatization in Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study

Objectives

This longitudinal study aimed to identify the trajectories and the predictors among sociodemographic and psychosocial variables at baseline of vicarious traumatization (VT) in Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials and methods

A total of 544 Chinese college students enrolled in a public University in central China, majored in Clinical Medicine, Nursing, Musicology, Physics, etc., participated in this longitudinal study lasting 19 months. Three-wave (wave 1: February 2020; wave 2: November 2020; wave 3: September 2021) of data were collected. Resourcefulness Scale and the 10-item Kessler scale (K10) were only assessed in the first-wave survey, and the Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) was repeatedly measured in all three-wave surveys. A link to an online survey created by Questionnaire Star (https://www.wjx.cn/) was sent to the students to collect data. The Growth mixture modeling (GMM) and multiple logistic regression were used to identify the trajectories of VT and predictors for the distinct trajectories.

Results

The incidence of VT at each wave varied from 9.9% at wave 1, 4.0% at wave 2, to 2.6% at wave 3. Three trajectories of VT were the medium-level escalating group (3.0%), medium-level maintaining group (32.3%), and the low-level descending group (64.7%). Seniors (OR = 1.575, 95% CI: 1.059-2.341; OR = 1.161, 95% CI: 1.043-1.293) and those with poor mental health status (OR = 1.101, 95% CI: 1.030-1.177; OR = 1.083, 95% CI: 1.060-1.106) at baseline were more likely to be classified into the medium-level escalating group and medium-level maintaining group, respectively. Additionally, females (OR = 3.601, 95% CI: 1.311-9.887) were more likely to be included in the medium-level escalating group.

Conclusion

Targeted psychological interventions are urgently needed for students vulnerable to VT. Further studies with more representative samples, longer period of follow-up, and predictors based on scientific theoretical framework, are needed to update the findings.