Effectiveness of interventions on the stress management of schoolteachers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Well-Being and Mental Health in Teachers: The Life Impact of COVID-19

The impact of the pandemic on teachers' mental health has also been an important issue. The aim of the study was to analyze the vital impact of COVID-19, spirituality, and the use of social-emotional strategies on teacher well-being, mediated by mental health. The sample was non-random, inviting all teachers in a city North of Chile to participate in the study. The sample consisted of 624 teachers. A total of 74.4% were women and 25.6% were men. The mean age was 44.1 and the standard deviation was 11.9. A total of 56.4% belonged to public schools and 43.6% belonged to subsidized schools. Structural equations were used to analyze the data, finding a mental health mediating effect between the death of a close person, affected areas and family history with life satisfaction. Spirituality and the use of socio-emotional strategies self-applied by the teachers had no direct relationship with their mental health, so their mediating effect in relation to life satisfaction was discarded. Teachers who used social-emotional strategies, as well as those who reported higher levels of spirituality, obtained greater satisfaction with life, both general and specifically. Women had higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress symptomatology, but also higher levels of life satisfaction. The implications are discussed.

Effectiveness of interventions on the stress management of schoolteachers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

This systematic review aimed to analyse the effectiveness of interventions on the stress management of schoolteachers.

Methods

We searched the Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Education Research Complete until 30 November 2021, to identify relevant studies using relevant key words. Job or occupational stress was used as the outcome measure. Stress was defined as Perceived Stress Scale, Teacher Stress Inventory, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Teacher’s Distress, Brief Symptoms Inventory or Global Severity Index. Study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment was performed by two independent reviewers. The pooled estimate of the effect by the type of outcome measurement tool and by type of interventions used was calculated using random effects meta-analysis. We used Grades of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation to assess the overall quality of the evidence.

Results

We reviewed 26 studies, of which 24 were randomised trials and 2 pre-test/post-test studies. Based on meta-analysis, a positive effect of intervention (pooled estimate −1.13, 95% CI −1.52 to −0.73) with high heterogeneity among studies (χ2=426.88, p<0.001, I2=94%) was found by type of interventions used. Cognitive–behavioural therapy had the strongest positive effect, followed by meditation among the types of interventions studied. We identified evidence of a moderate quality for interventions aiming to manage the stress level of schoolteachers.

Conclusions

The meta-analysis showed a positive effect of interventions, suggesting that interventions might reduce the stress level among teachers. The quality of the evidence was moderate.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42021225098