23 Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction intervention for elementary school teachers: a pilot study INTRODUCTION In recent years, the profession of elementary school teaching has come under increasing pressure. According to Grinsven et al. (2016), 56% of teachers indicate that they are experiencing an unacceptably high workload. This pressure encompasses not only the substantial number of tasks but also the emotional demands inherent in the work (Jennings, 2017). The ability of a teacher to manage this emotional burden is directly linked to the level of stress they experience. Roeser et al. (2013) conducted research involving 113 elementary and secondary school teachers in Canada and the United States, revealing that the capacity of teachers to cope with stress and regulate their emotions significantly impacts their mental health. The study established a correlation between these factors and feelings of anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and burnout. According to the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping proposed by Lazarus (1991), the intensity of an emotion is determined by how one interprets a stressor along with their ability to regulate emotions. Consequently, prolonged exposure to negative emotions triggered by external stressors contributes to feelings of stress (Roffey, 2012). The stress experienced by teachers can result in failure or premature departure from the profession. This is evidenced by a significant percentage of absenteeism and burnout symptoms among elementary school teachers (Algemene Onderwijsbond, 2020). Additionally, statistics show that one in five of the starting teachers leave the education sector within five years, while one in eight teachers actively seek employment outside of education. The primary reasons cited for this trend are workload and the associated stress levels (TNO/Statistics Netherlands, 2015; TNO, 2019). Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO, 2011) has made a concerning prediction that stress will become the number one health hazard by 2030. Consequently, there is an urgent need to explore sustainable interventions aimed at reducing stress in the education sector. Consequences of stress Persistent stress among teachers has negative consequences for their mental health and overall well-being (Roeser et al., 2013). Additionally, stress can adversely affect cognitive and social functioning, such as reduced (working) memory function, impaired planning abilities, and quicker loss of self-control (Arnsten, 2009). Since these effects can manifest in stressful educational settings, they can detrimentally impact the skills required for effective teaching and classroom management (Meiklejohn et al., 2012). Furthermore, stress not only affects teachers’ well-being and skills but also their relationships with pupils. A review study by Spilt et al. (2011), which summarized the findings of 99 studies from international literature across primary and secondary education, indicates that teacher stress negatively influences the pupil-teacher relationship, and vice versa. A poor pupil-teacher relationship indirectly affects the mental health and well-being of the teacher as well (Collie et al., 2017). It leads to undesirable pupil behaviors, lack of motivation, and decreasing academic performance (Roffey, 2012; Spilt et al., 2011), which 2
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