Preparation for teacher collaboration in inclusive classrooms - stress reduction for special education students via acceptance and commitment training: A controlled study

Reducing occupational distress in veterinary medicine personnel with acceptance and commitment training: a pilot study

AIMS

To determine whether an educational programme targeting the reaction of veterinary personnel to difficult client interactions reduced burden transfer, stress and burnout in veterinary staff.

METHODS

Employees of three small-animal veterinary hospitals in the south-western United States of America were recruited and randomised to intervention (educational programme; n = 16) or control (no intervention; n = 18) groups. Participants of this randomised, parallel arms trial completed pre-programme assessment including the Burden Transfer Inventory (BTI), Perceived Stress Scale, and Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Assessment was followed by two, group-format educational sessions, based on acceptance and commitment training, tailored to reducing reactivity to difficult veterinary client interactions (intervention group only). After training was completed, both groups were assessed using the same measures and the intervention participants provided use and acceptability ratings.

RESULTS

Intervention participants rated the programme as useful and appropriate, and reported that programme techniques were used a median of 43 (min 9, max 68) times during the 2 weeks prior to retesting. Relative to pre-programme scores, median post-programme scores for reaction (subscore of BTI) to difficult client interactions decreased in the intervention group (33 vs. 54; p = 0.047), but not in the control group (51 vs. 59; p = 0.210). Changes in median scores for stress and burnout from pre- to post-programme were non-significant for both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

This pilot and feasibility trial showed high rates of acceptability and use by participants, as well as promising reductions in burden transfer. A larger scale clinical trial with follow-up at extended time points is needed to more fully examine the efficacy of this novel programme.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Preliminary findings suggest this programme may be a useful approach to reducing occupational distress for individuals working in veterinary practice.

Barriers general education teachers face regarding the inclusion of students with autism

As the number of students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present in general education (GE) classrooms has increased in the past few decades, GE teachers must adapt to meet the needs of these students. Laws and regulations require students with ASD to be educated in the least restrictive environment, as well as that they be instructed by the teachers who were qualified to teach them. Unfortunately, GE teachers face the challenges supporting students with ASD in GE settings. This qualitative research investigates the barriers that prevent teachers from successfully implementing an inclusive environment in the GE classroom. In total, four elementary school teachers at a school in the northeast of the United States were interviewed and observed. The data were analyzed to identify emerging themes. The findings showed that GE teachers lack training in how to work with students with ASD in their GE classrooms, lack collaboration opportunities with their special education colleagues to better support their students with ASD, and are not provided sufficient resources by their schools and programs to create an appropriate inclusive environment in their GE classrooms. Based on these findings, certain improvements in professional development offerings for in-service general educators on how to teach students with ASD are recommended, such as providing broader training programs that give teachers the opportunity to practice interventions and teaching plans for inclusive classrooms and receive feedback from the training instructor(s). Furthermore, certain additions to the curriculum of pre-service university education programs for GE teachers are suggested. In addition, the research found that schools must make certain resources, including technology, available to GE teachers to meet the requirements of United States law regarding educating students with disabilities, including ASD, in the least restrictive environment, which is the GE classroom.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of individual-level interventions to reduce occupational stress perceptions among teachers

Teachers are largely affected by OS, during their most productive years, leading to catastrophic physical, psychological, and economic burden on themselves, families and society by large. Teachers are responsible for producing the workforce of any nation, and thus have a major impact indirectly on the economy and health of a nation. There are several individual-level interventions conducted to reduce occupational stress (OS) among teachers. This study was conducted to systematically review and conduct a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of individual-level interventions to reduce occupational stress among teachers. This review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; Registration ID: CRD42020149277) and followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, PsycInfo, and Web of Science databases were searched using predefined search strategies covering the eligibility criteria. Studies were selected in four rounds. Risk of bias assessments were conducted with GRADE recommendations and ROBINS-I criteria for randomized and non-randomized interventions, respectively. Study selection, data extraction and bias assessments were performed independ ently by two reviewers with a third reviewer to resolve conflicts. Narrative synthesis of the findings were also performed. Clinical, methodological, and statistical heterogeneity assessments were conduct ed. Meta-analyses were performed with Review Manager 5.3 software using the "generic inverse variance method" with mean difference as the pooled estimate. Sensitivity analyses of the findings was also performed. At the initial search, 293 articles were identified and 29 subsequently selected for synthesis of findings. The findings of the meta-analysis indicated that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and relaxation interventions significantly reduced OS among teachers with an effect size of 6.2 (p < 0.001). Effect size was highest for combined CBT and relaxation interventions which was 6.57 (p < 0.001). Relaxation interventions only and CBT interventions only had effect sizes of 3.35 (p < 0.001) and 3.12 (p = 0.002) respectively. In sensitivity analysis, after removing low-quality studies, CBT interventions only, combined CBT and relaxation interventions and overall effect size were 6.31 (p < 0.00001), 17.36 (p < 0.00001), and 14.55 (p < 0.00001), respectively, ie, substantially greater than with low-quality studies included. Inconclusion, CBT and relaxation interventions reduce OS among teachers and it's most effective when those individual-level interventions are conducted together.