scholarly journals A Complementary Intervention to Promote Wellbeing and Stress Management for Early Career Teachers

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6320
Author(s):  
Stevie-Jae Hepburn ◽  
Annemaree Carroll ◽  
Louise McCuaig-Holcroft
Keyword(s):  
Stress Management ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Salivary Cortisol ◽  
Subjective Wellbeing ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Early Career Teachers ◽  
Cortisol Levels ◽  
Career Teachers

The educational climate and culture in our schools present a variety of environmental (contextual) factors that influence teacher wellbeing, job satisfaction, and work-related stress. The magnitude of contextual factors cannot be ignored, and directing attention towards the environment teachers face daily is essential. Primary (organisational)-level interventions are documented in organisational health and wellbeing literature; however, to provide teachers with stress management strategies for promoting wellbeing, attention must also be directed towards secondary (individual)-level interventions. The present study addressed the issue of stress management techniques for early career teachers (n = 24) and aimed to contribute to the research surrounding complementary interventions (CIs) for educators. The intervention was designed to include strategies that operated through cognitive and physiological mechanisms that regulated the stress response and increased awareness of behaviours, emotions, and reactivity. The self-report measures included perceived stress, attention awareness, subjective wellbeing, burnout, and job-related affective wellbeing. The results indicated a statistically significant decrease in perceived stress and increases in attention awareness and subjective wellbeing. The salivary cortisol levels (waking and resting) decreased from baseline to week 6, and the pre- and post-session salivary cortisol levels indicated an immediate decrease in cortisol for weeks 4 to 6.

scholarly journals A Controlled Pre-Post Analysis Investigating The Effect of Mindfulness On Perceived Stress and Cortisol Levels and Exam Performance in Medical Students

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmine Heath Hearn ◽  
Claire J Stocker
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Stress Management ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Group Work ◽  
Salivary Cortisol ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Exam Performance ◽  
Important Relationship ◽  
Cortisol Levels

Abstract Background. Medical students demonstrate higher levels of psychological distress compared with the general population and other student groups. Mindfulness interventions show promise in stress reduction for this group, and in the reduction of cortisol, an established clinical marker of the body’s stress response. This study investigated the relationship of mindfulness to perceived stress, salivary cortisol and assessment performance in undergraduate medical students in response to stressful and non-stressful events. Methods. A controlled pre-post analysis design with within-groups comparisons. 67 medical students completed the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and provided perceived stress ratings and saliva samples, from which cortisol was extracted, during group work (control/baseline) and immediately prior to end of year 2 examinations (experimental). Academic performance data was extracted for comparison with measures. Results. Salivary cortisol and perceived stress were significantly increased prior to examinations. The change in cortisol levels from baseline (non-stressful, group work conditions) to experimental (stressful, pre-exam conditions) showed a significant negative correlation with exam performance. FFMQ score showed a significant positive correlation with exam performance and a significant negative correlation with salivary cortisol concentration. Conclusions. This study suggests that there exists an important relationship between mindfulness and biomarkers of stress, which may manifest into improved assessment outcomes potentially through healthier, more adaptive coping and stress management strategies. A novel strength of the present study is the identification of individual facets of mindfulness associated with stress and exam performance (acting with awareness and non-judging) suggesting that these may be important targets for improving medical students’ stress management and exam performance.

scholarly journals Effects of Anosognosia on Perceived Stress and Cortisol Levels in Alzheimer’s Disease

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Genevieve Arsenault-Lapierre ◽  
Victor Whitehead ◽  
Sonia Lupien ◽  
Howard Chertkow
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Cognitive Deficits ◽  
Salivary Cortisol ◽  
Newly Diagnosed ◽  
Stress Scale ◽  
Cortisol Levels

Anosognosia, or unawareness of one’s own cognitive deficits, may cause issues when measuring perceived stress and cortisol levels in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). The goal of this study was to examine the effects of anosognosia on perceived stress and salivary cortisol levels in normal elderly (NE) adults, MCI individuals, newly diagnosed AD patients, and long-lasting AD patients, suspected to show more anosognosia. An anosognosia index for perceived stress was computed by subtracting the score on the Perceived Stress Scale measured in the participants and their relative. Cortisol levels were measured four times a day over two nonconsecutive days. Greater anosognosia for dementia correlated with greater anosognosia for perceived stress in the group as a whole. However, no correlation between cortisol levels and either anosognosia for dementia or perceived stress was observed. Our results suggest that measuring perceived stress in AD patients may be influenced by anosognosia.

Don't Quit Now!: Crisis, Reflection, Growth, and Renewal for Early Career Teachers

2012 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 123-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Stallions ◽  
Leslie Murrill ◽  
Lisa Earp
Keyword(s):  
Early Career ◽  
Early Career Teachers ◽  
Career Teachers

scholarly journals ‘It’s not about punitive’: exploring how early-career teachers in high-poverty schools respond to critical incidents

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo Lampert ◽  
Bruce Burnett ◽  
Barbara Comber ◽  
Angela Ferguson ◽  
Naomi Barnes
Keyword(s):  
Critical Incidents ◽  
Early Career ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
High Poverty Schools ◽  
Early Career Teachers ◽  
Career Teachers

scholarly journals More than a mentor

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 198-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Struyve ◽  
Alan Daly ◽  
Machteld Vandecandelaere ◽  
Chloé Meredith ◽  
Karin Hannes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Job Attitudes ◽  
Intention To Leave ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Experienced Teachers ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Early Career Teachers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Career Teachers

Purpose – The number of early career teachers leaving the profession continues to be an ongoing issue across the globe. This pressing concern has resulted in increased attention to the instructional and psychological conditions necessary to retain early career educators. However, less formal attention has been paid to the social infrastructure in which early career teachers find themselves. The purpose of this paper is to foreground the role of social capital and its effect on job attitudes and educators’ intention to leave the profession. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 736 teachers within ten secondary schools in Flanders (Belgium). Using social network and multilevel moderated mediation analysis techniques, the relationships between teachers’ social connectedness, job attitudes, and the intention to leave the profession for both novice and experienced teachers were analyzed. Findings – Findings indicate that being socially connected to other educators within the school is associated with a reduction in teachers’ intention to leave the profession, mediated by their job attitudes, for both early career and experienced teachers. However, social connectedness was significantly more important for early career teachers. No significant effects are found for being socially connected to the mentor. Originality/value – This study provides evidence for the importance of social capital for teachers, particularly early career educators. Moreover, by introducing teachers’ social connectedness as related to intention to leave, this study makes a significant and unique contribution to the literature.

scholarly journals Salivary cortisol responses to acute stress in students with myofascial pain

2018 ◽  
Vol 146 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 20-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Djordje Bozovic ◽  
Nedeljka Ivkovic ◽  
Maja Racic ◽  
Sinisa Ristic
Keyword(s):  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Salivary Cortisol ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Myofascial Pain ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Cortisol Levels

Introduction/Objective. Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are characterized by the appearance of musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction of the masticatory system. The aims of this study were to evaluate the salivary cortisol levels in students with chronic myofascial pain (MFP) related to TMD during oral exam, as well as to analyze the correlation between salivary cortisol levels, TMD-related MFP, the level of anxiety, depression symptoms, somatization, and perceived stress. Methods. The study included 60 university students, who were allocated either into the group of students with MFP (n = 30) or into the control group of healthy students (n = 30). The level of salivary cortisol was measured on the exam day and during the control day when the students had no exams. Depression symptoms, somatization, perceived stress and anxiety were evaluated according to Axis II RDC/TMD, Perceived Stress Scale and State?Trait Anxiety Inventory. Results. Levels of salivary cortisol were significantly higher in the group of students with MFP in all phases of measurements compared to the control group (p < 0.01). Students with MFP also showed significantly higher depression symptoms, somatization, and trait anxiety scores than the control group. No significant group differences were found on the scales measuring state anxiety and perceived stress. The level of salivary cortisol was found to be in correlation with depression symptoms, state anxiety, and perceived stress, but not with chronic pain, somatization, and trait anxiety in students with TMD. Conclusion. Salivary cortisol could be an important indicator of psychological distress in TMD.

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