Effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy on occupational stress management among administrative, language, science and vocational education staff within open and distance learning centers: A randomized controlled trial evaluation.

BACKGROUND: The administrative, language, science and vocational staff in Nigerian open and distance learning centers handle a wide range of responsibilities, including teaching, supervising exams, managing projects for distant learners, conducting research, and attending conferences. However, no research in southeast Nigeria has looked into how the administrative, language, science and vocational staff at open-distance learning centers manage occupational stress. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate how administrative, language, science and vocational education staff at open distance learning facilities in southeast Nigeria manage their work-related stress in relation to cognitive behavior therapy intervention. METHODS: The study used a randomized control group trial design with 63 administrative, language, science and vocational staff members as the sample size. Data were gathered using the Occupational Stress Index and the Perceived Stress Scale. The instruments' respective internal consistency reliability indices are.87 and.77. The 12-week intervention of cognitive behavior therapy was conducted. A postintervention exam was given to participants in both the intervention group and the nonintervention group after the conclusion of the intervention, and a follow-up assessment was given 2 months later. The paired samples t-test and the independent samples t-test were used to evaluate the data for the within-groups and between-groups effects, respectively. RESULTS: In open and distance learning facilities in southeast Nigeria, it was discovered that cognitive behavior therapy significantly improved the administrative, language, science and vocational education staff's ability to manage occupational stress. CONCLUSION: Administrative, language, science and vocational education staff at open distance learning facilities in southeast Nigeria can effectively manage their occupational stress through the use of cognitive behavior therapy.

Effect of psychological intervention in cushioning work-induced stress among secondary school home economics teachers: Implications for policy and administration.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Work demands in the contemporary Nigerian work environment are a critical concern to many including occupational stress researchers. This informed the current study to investigate the effect of psychological intervention in cushioning teachers' stress in public secondary schools in Nigeria. METHODS: A randomized control design was applied. The participants were 80 secondary school home economics teachers. They were randomized into 2 groups, that is, treatment and waitlisted arms. The former was designed as a 12-session cognitive behavior intervention while the latter was waitlisted and the members received theirs at the end of the study. Both group members were evaluated at the pretest, posttest, and follow-up test to understand the baseline of the problem, treatment outcome, and sustainability respectively. Perceived Stress Scale and Teacher irrational belief scale were used as test tools. Data from the 3-time tests were analyzed using multivariate statistic. RESULTS: The main effect results showed a significant reduction in teachers' stress and irrational beliefs due to cognitive behavior intervention. The follow-up test results also indicate that the impactful benefit of cognitive behavioral intervention on job stress reduction was significantly sustained over time. Regarding the influence of gender, the result shows no significant influence of gender on teachers' job stress in schools. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that cognitive behavior intervention can decrease work-induced stress among secondary school home economics teachers. Therefore, the management of schools is enjoined to deploy the services of cognitive behavior therapists to monitor the mood and mental health of teachers.

Assessing the general health, increase in mental and physical workload among administrative staff of the University of Nigeria due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the global workloads and general well-being of employees, especially in the university system. The object of this study is to evaluate the mental health and effect of increase in workload on the general well-being of the administrative staff of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, on the resumption of academic activities after the lockdown due to COVID-19. A total of 73 randomly selected administrative staff were involved in the study. Three sets of instruments, the demographic questionnaire, National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Task Load Index, and General Health Questionnaire, were used to obtain information on the demographic characteristics, workload, and level of mental disorder among the respondents due to COVID-19. The generalized linear regression model, 1-way analysis of variance, independent samples t test, and contingency coefficient were used to analyze the data. The results revealed that high workload is significantly associated with high risk of mental and general health disorders among the respondents. The married, divorced, widowed, older, and females staff with >2 children are the most vulnerable to mental disorder, physical workload, frustration, and general health challenges. The younger staff, those with at most 2 children, and those who are still single experience lower mental and general health disorder and are more resilient. Significant and comprehensive health and administrative support should be provided for the overall well-being of the staff.

Rational emotive occupational health coaching for quality of work-life among primary school administrators.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed at investigating the effect of rational emotive occupational health coaching on quality of work-life among primary school administrators. METHOD: This is a double blinded and randomized control design study. A total of 158 administrators were sampled, half of them were exposed to rational emotive occupational health treatment package that lasted for 12 sessions. Two self-report measures were utilized in assessing the participants using quality of work life scale. Data collected were analyzed using MANOVA statistical tool. RESULT: The results showed that rational emotive occupational health coaching is effective in improving perception of quality of work-life among public administrators. A follow-up result showed that rational emotive occupational health coaching had a significant effect on primary school administrators' quality of work life. CONCLUSION: This study concluded rational emotive occupation health coaching is useful therapeutic strategy in improving quality of work of primary school administrators, hence, future researchers and clinical practitioners should adopt cognitive-behavioral techniques and principles in helping employers as well as employees. Based on the primary findings and limitations of this study, future studies, occupational psychotherapists should qualitatively explore the clinical relevance of rational emotive occupational health practice across cultures using different populations.

Analysis and forecasting of confirmed, death, and recovered cases of COVID-19 infections in Nigeria: Implications for university administrators.

ABSTRACT: The coronavirus (COVID-19) disease outbreak was a public health emergency of international concern which eventually evolved into a pandemic. Nigeria was locked down in March, 2020 as the country battled to contain the spread of the disease. By August 2020, phase-by-phase easing of the lockdown was commenced and university students will soon return for academic activities. This study undertakes some epidemiological analysis of the Nigerian COVID-19 data to help the government and university administrators make informed decisions on the safety of personnel and students.The COVID-19 data on confirmed cases, deaths, and recovered were obtained from the website of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) from April 2, 2020 to August 24, 2020. The infection rate, prevalence, ratio, cause-specific death rate, and case recovery rate were used to evaluate the epidemiological characteristics of the pandemic in Nigeria. Exponential smoothing was adopted in modeling the time series data and forecasting the pandemic in Nigeria up to January 31, 2021.The results indicated that the pandemic had infection rate of at most 3 infections per 1 million per day from April to August 2020. The death rate was 5 persons per 1 million during the period of study while recovery rate was 747 persons per 1000 infections. Analysis of forecast data showed steady but gradual decrease in the daily infection rate and death rate and substantial increase in the recovery rate, 975 recoveries per 1000 infections.In general, the epidemiological attributes of the pandemic from the original data and the forecast data indicated optimism in the decrease in the rate of infection and death in the future. Moreover, the infection rate, prevalence and death rate in January 2021 coincided with the predictions based on the analysis. Therefore, the Nigerian government is encouraged to allow universities in the country to reopen while university administrators set up the necessary protocols for strict adherence to safety measures.

Intervention for stress management among skilled construction workers.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have demonstrated the need for a stress management intervention among construction workers. Construction workers, despite their degree of stress, are expected to contribute to the accomplishment of projects on construction sites. This study aimed to ascertain the effect of a group rational emotive behavior therapy (group REBT) on stress management among a select sample of skilled construction workers in construction industry in Nigeria. METHODS: With a randomized controlled trial design, 160 skilled construction workers completed the study and responded to the perceived stress scale-14 and work-related irrational beliefs questionnaire. Participants were randomly allocated to either the intervention group (n = 80) or the control group (n = 80). The main method of data analysis used in the study was repeated measures within-between subjects analysis of variance statistic. RESULTS: Results show that group REBT significantly improved stress and work-related irrational beliefs scores of the skilled construction workers after they were exposed to the intervention and compared with their colleagues in the control group. The significant reduction in stress and work-related irrational beliefs scores of the treatment group were also sustained at follow-up. CONCLUSION: Group REBT was significant in reducing stress and work-related irrational beliefs among the skilled construction workers.

A group-focused rational emotive behavior coaching for management of academic burnout among undergraduate students: Implications for school administrators.

BACKGROUND: High-stress level affects students' health and many of them experiencing high levels of stress are at risk of burnout. School administrators are often concerned about the experiences and negative effects of burnout among students and staff. Burnout is described as a psychological reaction to chronic stress. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of a group-focused intervention (rational emotive behavior coaching, REBC) on academic burnout among undergraduate students attending public universities in Southeast Nigeria. METHODS: A group randomized controlled trial design was adopted for this study. A total of 52 convenient samples of undergraduate students (with a high degree of burnout symptoms) took part in the research. We used a group REBT program manual for the management of burnout which was complemented with REBC techniques. Data were gathered with the aid of the perceived stress scale (PSS-10) and Oldenburg Burnout inventory-student (OLBI-S). Data were analyzed using ANOVA and paired t test at .05 probability level. RESULTS: Results showed that the group-focused REBC program significantly alleviated burnout symptoms among students in the treatment group compared to students in the control group as measured by OLBI-S subscales: exhaustion (F(1,51) = 41.789, P = .000, (Equation is included in full-text article.), ΔR = 0.634, SE = 1.00), and disengagement (F(1,51) = 196.036, P = .000, (Equation is included in full-text article.), ΔR = 0.869, SE = 0.69). The students who benefitted from the group-focused REBC program maintained reduced symptoms of burnout after three months when the researchers conducted a follow-up as measured by OLBI-S subscales: exhaustion (F(1,51) = 34.012, P = .000, (Equation is included in full-text article.), ΔR = 0.467, SE = 1.21), and disengagement (F(1,51) = 108.941, P = .000, (Equation is included in full-text article.), ΔR = 0.765, SE = 0.85). CONCLUSION: This research indicates that group-focused REBC can be applied to reduce burnout symptoms among undergraduate students. The group-focused REBC intervention may be adapted to overcome employee burnout and school administrators' burnout. Researchers may need to investigate the possibility of storing and harnessing data from studies on REBC and burnout and delivering computer-based/internet REBC program following evidence-based computing strategies and principles.

Effects of a rational-emotive health education intervention on stress management and irrational beliefs among technical college teachers in Southeast Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Stress is the product of how an individual reacts and adapts to the specific demands and threats they encounter while carrying out given tasks. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a rational-emotive health education intervention (REHEI) on stress management, and irrational beliefs in a sample of technical college teachers in Southeast Nigeria. METHOD: The study design was a pretest-posttest control group. Repeated measures analysis of variance, paired t test and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to analyze the data collected. RESULTS: The REHEI significantly reduced teacher stress in those teaching staff exposed to the treatment intervention, relative to a waitlist control group. Furthermore, the REHEI program significantly decreased irrational beliefs about teaching in those teaching staff exposed to the treatment intervention compared to a waitlist control group. CONCLUSION: The REHEI program can be used to coach teachers on how to manage and cope with stress and overcome irrational beliefs in teaching.