- Title
- Exploring mindfulness as an intervention on teachers’ stress, anxiety and depression in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Creator
- Hemmings, Tanya
- Subject
- Teachers -- Job stress
- Subject
- Stress (Psychology) Anxiety Depression, Mental
- Date Issued
- 2018
- Date
- 2018
- Type
- Thesis
- Type
- Masters
- Type
- MA
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/22365
- Identifier
- vital:29962
- Description
- Teaching has been identified as one of the most stress-inducing occupations, thus improving the psychological well-being of teachers is a priority. Research indicates that mindfulness is an effective intervention in stress-related illnesses. This mixed methods study examined the outcomes of a six-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on teachers’ stress, anxiety and depression. Six teachers from a high school in Port Elizabeth were selected through non-probability, purposive sampling. Quantitative data was collected by means of pretest- posttest questionnaires, namely the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R), Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale, 21-item version (DASS-21), Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney U-Test revealed a significant difference between the pretest-posttest depression levels of the participants (p < 0.05), and non-significant differences for the anxiety, stress, and mindfulness levels (p = 0.06). Qualitative data from a focus group interview, utilising semi-structured open-ended questions, was analysed using thematic analysis. Five themes were identified, namely changes in stress, anxiety and depression levels, awareness and attention, self-regulation, impact on the teaching environment, and specific negative and positive experiences. Themes were evaluated according to literature and examined through the lens of self-determination theory (SDT). The findings indicated that mindfulness has potential to enhance well-being, and alleviate symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression, in a teaching context.
- Format
- xiv, 210 leaves
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Health Sciences
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela University
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NMU School of Behavioural Sciences
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