12 Chapter 1 & Eisenschmidt, 2014; Robertson & Dunsmuir, 2013). Also, teachers model social skills for young children, thus stress can negatively affect their role-modeling capabilities (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009). Third, excessive stress contributes to burnout and may be a factor in the high turnover rates within the teaching profession (Tsouloupas et al., 2010). This holds particularly true for elementary school teachers in The Netherlands, who report higher levels of burnout symptoms and increasing absenteeism compared to other professions (Statistics Netherlands, 2022). When teachers experience chronic stress without adequate support, they may choose to leave the profession, resulting in a loss of experienced educators. In the Netherlands, one in five elementary school teachers exits the educational system within five years (Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, 2022), with one in eight leaving due to sickness, disability, or (early) retirement (Statistics Netherlands, 2018). Additionally, high levels of teacher stress have far-reaching implications within the broader educational system. Schools often grapple with absenteeism and encounter challenges in fostering a positive and engaging learning environment (Ter Weel et al., 2020). The relationship between teacher stress and well-being, self-efficacy, pupil-teacher relationships, and classroom climate quality, as investigated in several studies, underscores the need for strategic interventions to alleviate perceived stress in elementary school teachers (de Carvalho, 2021; Chong & Kong, 2012; Meristo & Eisenschmidt, 2014; Robertson & Dunsmuir, 2013; Travers, 2017) Reducing teacher stress The stress levels experienced by individual teachers are likely to depend on the interaction between specific work stressors, teachers’ appraisal of these stressors, and their perceived coping ability (Engelbrecht & Eloff, 2001). Lazarus (1991) suggests that stress originates from one’s interpretation of stressors and the ability to regulate emotions. This suggests that interventions aimed at reducing stress should prioritize enhancing teachers’ emotion regulation, which involves establishing goals that can positively impact the way they experience and express their feelings (Gross et al.,2011). Research indicates that mindfulness increases emotional self-regulation (Hölzel et al., 2011; Vago & Silbersweig, 2012; Tang et al., 2015) which has also been supported by research in neuroscience (Hölzel et al., 2011; Tang et al., 2015). Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Mindfulness has a rich history rooted in both religious and secular traditions (Psychologist, 2023). In the 1980s, Kabat-Zinn, connected to the University of Massachusetts Medical School, adapted mindfulness from its Buddhist roots to a clinically applicable practice, i.e. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) (Kabat-Zinn, 2005). Informed by Eastern teachings, Kabat-Zinn integrated mindfulness in Western health care settings. MBSR gained widespread acceptance in clinical practice and science (Dryden & Still, 2006; Psychologist, 2023). Kabat-Zinn not only started to build the evidence base of MBSR in health care settings, but also explored its possible value in non-clinical settings, highlighting lasting benefits in personal, social, and political realms (Kabat-Zinn, 2005).
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