Stress Management and Resiliency Training for public school teachers and staff: A novel intervention to enhance resilience and positively impact student interactions.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Burnout in teachers has been linked to decreased effectiveness as educators, and suboptimal interactions with students. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the outcomes of a brief Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART) program for public school staff. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This single-arm, prospective trial involved an investigation of the effects of a brief SMART program on participant stress, anxiety, resilience, gratitude, happiness, life satisfaction, and quality of life (QOL). RESULTS: Significant improvements were noted in participant anxiety (P < 0.001), stress (P = 0.003), gratitude (P = 0.001), happiness (P < 0.001), life satisfaction (P < 0.001), and QOL (P < 0.001). Most participants reported that the skills learned positively affected interactions with students (77.2%) and coworkers (72.2%). CONCLUSIONS: The SMART program showed promising effectiveness for improving anxiety, stress, gratitude, happiness, life satisfaction and QOL. Given the prevalence and impact of teacher burnout, larger, controlled trials and broader dissemination of the intervention are warranted.