Stress and Burnout Management Among Teachers in Enugu State, Nigeria: Intervention of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Abstract

The study investigated intervention effects of cognitive behavioural therapy on stress and burnout management among teachers in Enugu State, Nigeria. The teachers’ stress was measured with Resenberg Occupational Stress Scale (ROSS) with an internal consistency reliability coefficient of 0.83. The ROSS has nine components of stress such as Student Behaviour, Administrators’ Relation, Teacher Relation, Parent/Teacher Relation, Time Management, Intrapersonal Relation, Physical Symptom of Stress, Emotional Symptom of Stress and Stress Management Technique with 4 items in each of the components. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was used for data collection. The MBI has 25 items and was developed by Maslach and Jackson 1981. The internal consistency reliability of MBI was established through Cronbach alpha which gave coefficients of 0.87. The participants are 162 teachers identified with Stress and Burnout symptoms. The teachers were put in two groups- experimental and control groups. The experimental group that received CBT-treatment has 82 teachers while the control group has 80 teachers respectively. A therapist’s guide to brief cognitive behavioral therapy Developed by Clerk in 2006 (42) was used as intervention by the study as the treatment. The assistants adhered to the outlines of Clerk in the intervention process that lasted for four weeks. A placebo on conventional counselling was given to the control group. The study revealed that CBT significantly increased stress and burnout management among teachers in secondary schools in Enugu State, Nigeria. The school administrators should also avoid conflicting role assignment of responsibility to the teachers, involve the teachers in decision making, provide conducive teaching environment through the support of appropriate instructional materials and allow the teachers to enjoy their free periods without interferences.